Chapter 177: Frustration

The referee blew the whistle, and the match restarted as soon as the Molde players finished celebrating their second goal. Nicki Nielsen immediately raised his leg and kicked the ball back to Zachary in the midfield.

Zachary controlled the ball with a deft first touch a few yards away from the center circle before casting a glance around, searching for possible passing options. But he instantly noticed that the Molde attacking players were already starting to throng into Rosenborg's half with newfound motivation and energy born from having scored an equalizer. They seemed to have already altered their strategy to high-pressing tactics so as to stop Rosenborg from dictating the proceedings on the field of play once again.

Zachary's sharp eyes managed to catch a glimpse of the sturdy figure and bearded face of Jo Inge Berget, the Molde midfielder, running towards him. The sight of the Molde man was like a case of a racing horse dashing towards the finish line on a racetrack—the finish line being him in that case.

Nevertheless, Zachary wasn't intimidated since he'd already estimated that the midfielder would need a couple of seconds to reach his position. So, he flashed the rapidly approaching Jo Inge a grin before flicking the ball to his left foot and passing it towards Mikael Dorsin, the Rosenberg left-back.

Without any delay, he ran into another space to allow himself to receive a return ball before his pass could connect with Mikael. His immediate goal was to help his team re-establish dominance by ensuring that Rosenborg would continue dictating the tempo within the midfield. So, he was determined to do all the hard work and make all the necessary runs across the pitch to make that happen as quickly as possible.

Mikael Dorsin received Zachary's pass close to the touchline on the left flank. He handled the ball beautifully and then relinquished it to Mike Jensen, one of the two Rosenborg's defensive midfielders on the field.

Mike Jensen received it and passed it to Jonas Svensson, the other defensive midfielder, who'd positioned himself on his right. Jonas didn't even try to control the ball since Magne Hoseth, the Molde captain, was closing in on him like a predator on a hunt. Instead, he passed it to Tore Reginiussen, the Rosenborg captain, with his first touch.

Zachary immediately stepped further away from his mark and created enough space for himself to receive the ball when he saw Tore get to the end of the pass from Jonas. The Rosenborg captain was a player with good vision. In an instant, he managed to spot Zachary from the crowd of players within the midfield and then passed the ball to him in the next second.

Zachary brought the ball under control with his right foot. He then pushed it forward, moving further away from Jo Inge Berget to create a couple of yards for himself. However, just as he was about to take another step and dash into Molde's half, Etzaz Hussain, the substitute Molde midfielder, closed him down and barred his sprinting path.

Zachary didn't try to dribble, though. He was one hundred percent sure that Jo Inge, his bodyguard for the day, was somewhere right behind him. So, he flicked the ball to his left foot before passing it towards the left flank, where Tarik Elyounoussi had long started making a run along the touchline.

Tarik controlled the ball mid-sprint and continued his dash across the touchline, dashing past Kristoffer Vatshaug, the Molde right-winger, in the process. He then cut into the pitch for a couple of yards before passing the ball back to Zachary in the midfield. Zachary controlled it beautifully on the edge of the final third before unleashing a first-time lofted pass towards Tobias Mikkelsen, the Rosenborg right-winger lurking on the right flank.

Tobias chested the ball down with style, befitting the swift winger that he was. He immediately fed it past Martin Linnes, the Molde left-back, before beating him for pace. But just as he began cutting into the pitch, racing towards Molde's 18-yard box from the wing, he came across a roadblock in the form of Knut Olav Rindaröy, the center-back in blue.

Knut Olav Rindaröy timed his tackle perfectly to slide in and steal the ball off Tobias' feet in some inexplicable way. And without a moment of delay, Knut picked himself from the ground and kicked the ball hard and high—towards the other side of the pitch.

Close to the center circle, Zachary started running back to his half to defend as he watched the ball fly high above him, heading towards Rosenborg's box. He didn't want to allow the Molde players to mount another successful counter-attack.

However, he couldn't travel faster than the ball, and his speed couldn't help him move between two places within an instant. So, he could only watch helplessly as the ball reached its highest point before starting its descent into Rosenborg's defensive third. And to make the situation worse, Daniel Chima Chukwu and Mattias Moström, Molde's dangerous attacking players, were already lurking like thieves around the area where the ball was heading.

Zachary immediately upped his speed and continued on track towards Rosenborg's half. He was well aware that his teammates in the defense hadn't stabilized yet after conceding two goals. So, his immediate intention was to make it back to the defensive third as fast as possible—to help defend against the new threat.

But even before he could cover a dozen yards, he saw Daniel Chima Chukwu, Molde's center-forward, connect with the long pass. He outmaneuvered Stefan Strandberg, one of Rosenborg's center-backs, for aerial superiority and then chested the ball down to Mattias Moström, the Molde left-winger.

Mattias pounced on Daniel's pass before the other Rosenborg defensive players could react and then took off like the wind, circumventing Jonas Svensson, the Rosenborg defensive midfielder. With his fast pace and nimble footwork, he slalomed his way past three more Rosenborg players, including Tore Reginiussen, and was soon on a highway route towards goal.

However, Tore Reginiussen, the Rosenborg captain, didn't allow him to do as he pleased. He tracked after the swift Molde winger and managed to get to him close to the edge of the box. Without any hesitation, the captain slid in wholesale and managed to drive the ball out of play. But during the process, he also tripped Mattias Moström, sending him tumbling to the ground, just within the boundaries of the 18-yard box. The referee immediately blew the whistle and pointed to the penalty spot as the stands occupied by the Rosenborg supporters quietened down to almost a total silence.

Molde had managed to win a penalty in the 69th minute, just four minutes after scoring their second goal. But that wasn't the worst thing that had happened to Rosenborg at that moment. The referee refused to listen to Tore Reginiussen's pleas and showed him a straight red card for the last-man professional foul he'd just committed. The situation on the field of play was a horrific nightmare that managed to rattle all Rosenborg players on the pitch, Zachary included.