Chapter 232: Against Crusaders Football Club

The following day, the Rosenborg squad traveled to Northern Ireland by plane — to face Crusaders FC in the opening fixture of the 2013/14 Europa League qualifying round.

It was Zachary's first overseas trip as a Rosenborg player. So, he was eager to test his skills against a team from outside Norway. His heart was already pounding hard and fast with anticipation as the plane touched down on the runway of Belfast International Airport at eleven that Wednesday morning.

"Rosenborg players," an airport official said as soon as the Troll Kids stepped out of the plane into the warm summer air of Northern Ireland. "Welcome to Belfast. We have already organized transportation to your hotel. Please, follow me. I'll guide you through the airport."

"Thank you," Coach Johansen, who was leading the Rosenborg entourage, replied. "Please lead the way."

The players followed the airport official through the airport procedures, which, surprisingly, weren't overly complicated, in Zachary's opinion. They practically walked through customs without any need to show passports or identity cards.

Twenty minutes later, they were on a bus to the Belfast Hilton Hotel, weaving through traffic on the wide streets of the magnificent port city of Belfast. Zachary was seated close to the back. Throughout the trip, his eyes had remained fixed on the sights outside the bus window. He was captivated by the artistic charm of the port city.

It had a distinctly European feel, with balconied buildings overlooking broad avenues and small places to sit, eat, and relax as folk went about their day. However, traffic wasn't so boisterous on the streets, giving the city a sense of tranquility absent from most other places. Zachary was fascinated by it all. He was even considering Belfast as a potential place to set up a residence when he eventually retired from professional football.

"You can take a two-hour rest in your respective rooms," Coach Johansen said, his voice loud and clear, as the bus was pulling into the parking lot of the Hilton Belfast Hotel. "We'll then have lunch at half-past one before heading to the training ground to make some final preparations for the game. So, please don't oversleep."

The players laughed at that as the bus came to a halt. However, they wouldn't dare disobey the coach's instructions. Without further ado, they exited the bus before quickly checking into the hotel and then heading to their respective rooms to rest.

Zachary slept for the entirety of the two hours since he'd woken up at 4:30 that morning. He escaped from slumberland to have a light lunch before joining the rest of his teammates on a nearby training ground for the pre-match practice drills.

The hours passed by quickly, and it was soon six in the evening — only an hour to the scheduled start of the match. Zachary and his teammates took the bus to Seaview Stadium, the venue for the first leg of their first Europa League qualification fixture against Crusaders.

"Okay, guys," Coach Johansen said, sweeping a glance across the players after they'd settled down in the visitor's dressing room. "We'll be playing Crusaders Football Club in about thirty minutes. But please do not take our opponents lightly, even though they seem like a small team. I want you all a hundred percent focused from the first minute until you hear the final whistle. Play smart football, fulfill your roles perfectly, and don't make mistakes. If you do that, I'm sure we'll thrash them like bugs. Are we together, guys?"

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

"That's good," Coach Johansen said, nodding. He then went over the game plan one more time before sending the players to the pitch.

*FWEEEEEEE*

The referee blew the whistle, signaling for the official start of the game at 7:00 PM. It was like he'd just poked a hornets' nest and set its occupants upon the players of Crusaders FC.

Zachary and his teammates started launching waves of attacks on the team from Northern Ireland from the very first minute. They arrayed themselves in the 4-3-3 formation to move the ball forward quickly, giving the opponents no time to relax.

Coach Johansen's counterattacking strategy was already starting to look pointless even in the early stages of the first half. The match was already turning into a one-sided affair with Rosenborg dictating proceedings. There wasn't any need or opportunity to counterattack.

Zachary was once again as brilliant as ever. With his stamina graded as the S- by the system, he was all over the pitch, acting as the perfect playmaker to link defense and attack.

Thanks to his resourcefulness with the ball, the Troll Kids grew more dangerous with every passing minute. They created their first solid chance at goal in the 19th minute.

After receiving a pass from Mikael Dorsin, the Rosenborg left-back, Zachary pushed forward, slaloming his way past a couple of defenders before pulling the trigger. He unleashed a shot from right outside the box that moved towards the goal like a ballistic missile homing on its target.

However, Sean O'Neill, the Crusaders' keeper, was alert. He managed to make a diving save and push the ball away from his goal with out-stretched fingertips. The referee pointed to the corner flag right after the ball had sailed past the post by mere centimeters.

Zachary went against the wishes of his coach and decided to take the corner. By relying on the Bend-it-like-Beckham-Juju, he floated a superb curling ball into the crowded box as soon as the referee blew the whistle.

Mikael Dorsin, the Rosenborg left-back, immediately out-jumped the rest of the players in the box to meet the ball at the edge of the box.  He brushed it with the side of his head, altering its path by a slight margin and sending it to the inside of the right post.

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1:0.

Rosenborg had managed to strike first in an away game through Mikael Dorsin, their assistant captain. A momentary silence seemed to descend upon the Seaview Stadium immediately after — as Zachary and his teammates celebrated the goal.

But that wasn't the end of Rosenborg's spell of dominance.

The Rosenborg players continued dictating the tempo of the game after the goal celebrations. They grew bolder and started attacking more frequently after the Crusaders failed to generate any form of sustained pressure on them. It was all Rosenborg for the next few minutes.

Zachary continued playing his role perfectly in the midfield. He was always in motion whenever he had the ball, running into spaces or at opponents whenever Rosenborg lost possession. He worked like a tireless madman throughout the match and, as a result, managed to create Rosenborg's second goal early in the second half.

In the 61st minute, he managed to win an aerial battle against Jordan Owens, one of the Crusaders' midfielders, in the middle third. Before the rest of the opponents could react, he unleashed one of his signature defense-splitting through-passes to Borek Dockal, the Rosenborg right forward.

With that immediate switch from defense to attack, he caught the opponents napping and sent his teammate well on the way towards the goal.

The Crusaders could not react as Borek Dockal connected with Zachary's sweet pass on the edge of the box and unleashed an unstoppable curling effort beyond the despairing dive of the keeper.

But the Rosenborg players didn't take the foot off the gas right after scoring the third goal. They continued pushing forward in droves and forced the opponents into a series of desperate situations.

Consequently, fouls started flying across the pitch with an ever-increasing intensity as the Crusaders grew more frustrated. They soon conceded a series of set-pieces in the final third, gifting Zachary the perfect chance to further seal Rosenborg's place in the next Europa League qualifying round.

With the Dead-Ball Specialist Juju in his skills repertoire, he didn't disappoint. He successfully hammered two more nails in the Crusaders' coffin by converting two set-pieces — one in the 72nd and another in the 74th minute of gameplay. With those, he'd managed to establish the perfect start to his Europa League campaign with a brace.

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CRUSADERS FC 0 : ROSENBORG 4

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Coach Johansen couldn't help but smile after casting a glance at the stadium jumbotron. His team had finally shaped up and started putting up consistent displays even in away matches. He could hardly contain his happiness as he followed proceedings on the field of play.

"Coach Johansen," his assistant, Trond Henriksen, said from beside him. "Don't you think we should substitute some of the starters? We need to rest them for the game against Sogndal on Sunday. And, of course, we don't want them getting injured in the final minutes of this game."

"You're right," Coach Johansen replied without taking his eyes off the field of play. "We shouldn't risk our key players for a game that we've already won. So, go ahead and inform Jonas, Fredrick, and Jon Inge to start warming up. I want them on for Zachary, Borek, and Mikael within a few minutes."

"That's a good call," Coach Henriksen replied. "I'll inform them right away."

****    ****

Zachary didn't feel any displeasure after being taken out of the field of play in the 80th minute. He understood the coach was trying to rest him for the next game three days later.

Besides, he had also scored two goals and made a perfect start to his Europa League campaign. He felt like he was walking on clouds and didn't have any space in his being to feel any irritation. So, with a light heart, he returned to the bench and continued watching the game until it ended 4:0 in favor of Rosenborg.

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