Chapter 364: Preparing to Face-Off against Lyon

As planned, Zachary met Miss Heather again after approximately two hours when it was almost noon. They were only two people at the table in the top floor cafe at Trondheim Torg since Emily had already left to attend another meeting. But that didn't stop them from going forward with the scheduled business.

"Have you made all the required preparations?" Zachary asked after they had exchanged greetings.

"Yes," Heather replied, smiling. "The only step remaining is you placing the order on the Nasdaq market to buy Tesla stock. After that, we can only wait for sellers to take you up on your bid."

"How long do you think I have to wait?"

Heather narrowed her eyes slightly. "The purchase will go through within a minute or two," she said. "If there aren't any unexpected situations that hinder your purchase, you should be a proud owner of Tesla Stock before we step out of this cafe."

"That's really great," Zachary said with a smile. "Let's place the order right away."

"Okay."

Heather quickly took Zachary through the share purchasing process using his brokerage account. They completed all the necessary procedures in less than an hour before placing their 1.5 million order on the Nasdaq market to buy Tesla stock. After that, they only waited for a minute before getting a confirmation that the trade had gone through.

Zachary's heart was racing with excitement as he was finally a proud owner of Tesla stock. He only had to wait for around six years before multiplying his initial investment in Tesla by more than twenty-five times. He was in a good mood. A wave of relaxation washed over him, and he discussed a few other prospective business opportunities with Heather before saying his goodbyes.

He exited the cafe and immediately left Trondheim Torg before heading to Coach Bjørn Peters' gym. He soon forgot about his 1.5 million-euro investment and immersed himself in his training. Under the guidance of his fitness trainer, Zachary spent hours doing aerobic exercises and drills targeted toward improving his stamina and endurance. He was so focused, and before he knew it, it was already evening. He said his goodbyes to Coach Bjørn Peters before jumping into his R8 GT and driving back home.

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The following two days became busy as the Rosenborg team trained from early morning to late evening. Zachary and his teammates utilized Tuesday and Wednesday effectively, going through drills to perfect their gameplan against Lyon. Be it positioning, passing, or shooting — they practiced them arduously under the strict supervision of the coaches.

Coach Johansen was more intense than ever, even though his team was already four goals ahead in the Europa League quarter-final clash. He pulled out all stops to drill his players so that they would be in their best shape for the game since he didn't want to leave any chance for Lyon to accomplish a comeback. He didn't permit the players to relax until Thursday morning — when less than ten hours remained before the start of the match.

"Guys!" He yelled from the sidelines to draw his players' attention. "I want you in the tactics room in fifteen minutes. We'll talk for a bit before utilizing the rest of the time before the match to rest."

The players immediately halted whatever drills they were performing on the pitch. Without wasting time, they marched toward the dressing room to clean up. And before long, they gathered in the dressing room to listen to their coach's pre-match briefing.

"I congratulate you all for completing another hectic few days of training," Coach Johansen began. "But our work is far from done as we play Olympique Lyonnais today at 9:05 PM in the second leg of the Europa League quarter-finals."

"Even though we're already leading by the four goals from the first leg, we can't relax. We've got to approach the match with a do-or-die attitude so as to kill off even the slightest of chances of Lyon making a comeback. We have to remain focused from the first minute of the game until we hear the final whistle. Are we together, guys?"

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"Yes, coach," the players replied.

The coach nodded and swept his gaze across his players in the dressing room before continuing. "For this game, we'll play ultra-defensive football as we don't want any risks. Since we already have a four-goal advantage, we'll play it safe and play with ten men behind the ball for every minute of the game. As we have practiced over the past two days, we'll sit tight in front of our box and ensure that the opponents don't create chances at goal. And that's how we'll qualify for the semi-finals without taking any risks. Are you guys with me?"

"Yes, coach."

"Good." Coach Johansen smiled and stepped towards the tactics board in front of the room. "We'll play with a 4-3-2-1 formation, comprising four defenders, three defensive midfielders, two attacking midfielders, and one forward. The two attacking midfielders will have to cover the wings when we're not in possession of the ball. Their primary role is supporting the defensive midfielders to defend rather than initiating the attacks. So, it's better to refer to them as central midfielders rather than attacking midfielders. Are we together?"

"Yes, coach."

"First things first!" Coach Johansen said and started inscribing the squad positions on the tactics board. "I'll announce the squad for today's game. In the goal, we have Daniel Örlund as our keeper. Then Mikael Dorsin, Tore Reginiussen, Yerry Mina, and Eric Bailly will play as our four defenders."

"Our three defensive midfielders will be Thomas Partey, Mike Jensen, and Ole Selnæs. Our attacking midfielders, who will also protect our wings and work with our central striker to score if there's a chance, will be Takumi Minamino and Nicki Nielsen. Finally, our only attacker for this game will be Zachary Bemba."

Coach Johansen paused and glanced towards Zachary's position. "Zachary!" He said. "I have given you the center-forward role since your scoring form has been incredible over the past few games. Moreover, you being on the striking line will force the Lyon players to remain under pressure throughout the entire game. So, they won't dare to leave you alone and push forward in droves to launch endless attacks on us even if we play defensive football. Are you with me, Zachary?"

"Yes, coach," Zachary said, nodding. "I understand."

"Good." Coach Johansen smiled and turned towards Nicki Nielsen. "Nicki! You'll have to fall back a lot to defend during this game. Then, if there's a chance, you can initiate a counter and pick out Zachary so that he can try to score. Can you manage that?"

"Yes, I can," Nicki agreed readily. "For the team, I'm willing to play a more defensive role. Don't worry, coach."

"Good." Coach Johansen nodded and turned towards Takumi Minamino. "Takumi! The same applies to you. You'll have to help out the defensive midfielders and wing-backs to defend. If an opportunity arises, try to pick out Zachary with a long pass as quickly as possible. Are we clear?"

"Yes, coach," Takumi replied. "I know what to do."

"Very good." Coach Johansen clapped his hands and swept his gaze over the rest of the players. "All of you must remember that tactical discipline and hard work are the keys to winning this game. As the saying goes, a boat doesn't go forward if each one is rowing their own way. Through teamwork, we can achieve the impossible. We can win the Europa League. So, if you guys are out there on the field, try to cover for your teammates. Ensure to play as a team and defend together for every minute of the game. Then, we'll emerge as the victors today night. Are we together, guys?" The coach ended his little speech with a yell.

"Yes, coach," the players replied with zest while clapping their hands.

"Good, good, good." Coach Johansen grinned. He then went over a few more tactics before sending the players back to the team lounge to rest. As a coach, he'd almost completed his part. What remained was for his players to step onto the pitch and perform.

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