Chapter 244: Against FK Minsk I

Before the commencement of the first leg of the Europa League qualifiers third round, Vadim Skripchenko, the head coach of FK Minsk, had thought that he'd made ample preparations for the match. He'd assumed that his team was more than ready to face off against Norwegian giants Rosenborg and advance to the group stages of the main competition. However, only ten minutes into the game, one player on the Rosenborg side had shattered his views and crushed his hopes with his sheer brilliance on the field.

Zachary Bemba, the Rosenborg number-33, was in beast mode in the attacking midfield, rendering all FK Minsk's strategies ineffective. He was all over the middle section of the pitch, tackling and winning both aerial and ground duels to help Rosenborg dictate the tempo early in the first half. If the FK Minsk players dared to relax and leave a slight gap in their defensive shape for a moment, he would immediately unleash a defense-splitting pass behind the backline. Or worse, he would run at the defenders to rump up the pressure on FK Minsk.

It wasn't long before he managed to set up Rosenborg's first real chance at goal with his incredible vision and brilliance on the playing field.

In the 13th minute, Zachary brought the ball under control with his chest after winning an aerial duel against Nikita Bukatkin, one of the FK Minsk defensive midfielders, close to the center circle. He immediately spun around with the ball hooked to his left boot, shrugging off Nikita Bukatkin, who was still trying to upend him.

From there, he didn't look back. He raced with the ball across the middle third, eliciting a wave of thunderous cheers from the traveling Rosenborg supporters in the stands of the GOKTsOR Stadion in Minsk, Belarus.

Coach Vadim Skripchenko could tell Zachary's speed across short distances wasn't that impressive. However, the young Rosenborg number-33 had an incredible vision and command of the ball while racing across the green. It was as if he could find the openings in the defensive shape of his opponents in an instant before immediately exploiting them to carry the ball forward and advance the attack. Due to his uncanny ability, he was able to step in the final third only a few seconds after initiating the attack.

Sergey Kozeka, the other FK Minsk defensive midfielder, soon came up to block Zachary's run. He closed down on Zachary with the intensity of an apex predator ready to draw blood after tracking down its prey. He also didn't forget to spread out his arms and angle his body in a way that cut off all Zachary's paths of advance towards the Minsk box.

In response, Zachary decreased his speed slightly, seemingly to assess the obstacle before him. The next instant, he controlled the ball to slide up—over his heel towards his left calf while keeping his eyes on the approaching defender. Without losing a moment, he swung his leg backward with the ball secured to his heel before his opponent could tackle him.

"Oh my, what the f*ck!" Coach Vadim Skripchenko could not help but let loose a loud curse as he watched Zachary loop the ball in an arc over both himself and the approaching opponent. The young number-33 even managed to elicit another wave of thunderous cheers across the FK Minsk home stadium after executing his move with an uncanny soft touch using his back heel.

'Why does he seem more dangerous than in the videos of Rosenborg's previous matches?' Coach Vadim Skripchenko wondered as he watched Zachary approach the box and unleash a right-footed shot through the crowd of opponents towards the goal.

Coach Vadim Skripchenko could feel his heart practically beating hard with anxiety as he watched the ball flashing towards the bottom right corner. It was like a bullet out of a sniper muzzle about to hit home on its intended target. But the next instant, the FK Minsk coach let out a pent-up breath of air as he watched Vladimir Bushma, the goalkeeper, make an incredible save. The number-1 had managed to punch the ball out of play and keep matters level in the 14th minute of gameplay.

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However, before the coach could relax, he saw Mikael Dorsin, the Rosenborg left-back, take the corner kick quickly, even before his players could shape up.

"What the f*ck are you guys doing?" Coach Vadim Skripchenko bellowed at the top of his voice, immediately racing towards the touchline. "Hurry up and close them down. Don't allow them close to our box."

However, before the FK Minsk players could array themselves in a proper defensive shape, he saw Zachary receive the short corner ball from Mikael Dorsin. He flicked the ball forward, skipping past a sliding challenge by Aleksandr Sachivko, the FK Minsk center-back. Zachary then passed it to Nicki Nielsen, the center forward a short distance away, before driving forward — into the box like a whirlwind.

Coach Vadim suppressed a rising wave of panic as he continued following Rosenborg's attack. But despite his best efforts, he was still shuddering in trepidation when Zachary received a return pass from Nicki Nielsen inside the box. Without losing his composure, the young Rosenborg number-33 flicked the ball forward — and then released a right-footed shot towards the goal from around the edge of the penalty area.

As expected, the attempt was a tricky one, spinning around the despairing dive of Vladimir Bushma and homing into the back of the net. The score was then 0:1, with Rosenborg taking the lead in the 15th minute.

Coach Vadim Skripchenko felt a flare of frustration as he watched the Rosenborg players celebrating in the middle of the pitch. Rosenborg's opening goal had been a result of the laxity in the concentration of his players. They'd let the Rosenborg players take the corner kick quickly, allowing them to score the vital away goal in the first leg of the Europa League qualifiers. As a result, FK Minsk's chances of qualifying had gone down.

"Focus, guys," Coach Vadim Skripchenko hollered out loud after a short while, clapping his hands to get the attention of his players. He was a professional coach. He knew that he needed to motivate his players and straighten out their attitude before play restarted. Or else, FK Minsk would find itself conceding more goals in the following few minutes.

"Don't let the goal put you down," he continued yelling without a pause while pacing the entire length of the technical area. "We still have more than 70 minutes to score and bring the match back to level ground. So, let's forget that we have conceded and proceed with our game plan. Sergey! Stick to that number-33 like glue, and don't allow him to do as he pleases in midfield. The rest of you stay sharp and close down all the spaces in the midfield and defense..."

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