Chapter 196: Unexpected Deadlock

Coach Johansen stayed true to his word regarding changes in the line-up after half-time. Immediately, after exiting the tunnel for the second half, he went ahead and signaled to the fourth official to introduce both Verner Rönning and Ole Selnæs as substitutes.

He couldn't let any mishaps happen when his team was already in the lead. So, he decided to take a guarded approach and introduce two defensive-minded players to reduce the likelihood of the opponents scoring.

"Make sure you stay solid at the back," he said to the two substitutes as they were going through the mandatory routine of being checked by the fourth official. "Always make first-time clearances—and please, avoid making mistakes close to our defensive third. If there are opportunities, try to pass the ball to Zachary. He'll be our playmaker for the second half. Are we clear?"

"Yes, coach," the two players replied in sync just before the fourth official raised the board to announce their entry.

"Remember my words and pass them on to the rest of the team," Coach Johansen yelled just as Ole, the first substitute, was heading into the pitch. "And please be mindful of the possibility of counterattacks. We must not falter during this game."

"Yes, coach," Ole shouted as he ran towards his position in Rosenborg's defensive midfield. Verner, the other substitute, followed after him shortly and took up the right-back position in the new 4-2-3-1 formation.

*FWEEEEEEE*

The referee blew the whistle soon after.

Mustafa Abdellaoue, Vålerenga's center forward, responded immediately—and passed the ball back to his midfield to kick-off the game after half-time.

The second half began at breakneck speed, with Rosenborg flying forward at will and the Vålerenga players looking explosive on the counter. The magnificent end-to-end exchanges saw Nicki Nielsen, Tobias Mikkelsen, and Borek Dockal—all pass up good opportunities to score for Rosenborg in the opening seven minutes of the half. On the other end, Mustafa Abdellaoue, the Vålerenga center-forward, also failed to score after a swift lightning-fast counter in the 57th minute.

It was an exciting second half for sure, but not for the coaches of both teams.

Coach Johansen had already grown tense as he watched Vålerenga launch more frequent counterattacks. He couldn't let the situation be. So, he decided to motivate his players with the power of his words once more.

"Focus on maintaining possession," he yelled from the sidelines. "Try to avoid needless mistakes and focus on dictating the tempo. Don't be impatient while attacking." He was shouting at the top of his lungs to make himself heard over the loud cheering in the stadium. 

"Ole! Move back a bit," the coach continued as he paced the entire length of the boundaries of the technical area. "You're a defensive, not an attacking midfielder. So, no need to move forward. Tobias and Borek! Please start falling back and supporting the backs when we lose possession. You're no longer forwards but wingers now. And please do watch out for those counters..."

He was vocalizing words at the pace of a machine gun as he tried his best to organize his team into a proper shape so as to guard against Vålerenga's counterattacks. He only stopped yelling when they started growing more dominant a few minutes afterward, in the 60th minute. By then, he'd already relaxed, thinking Rosenborg had weathered the most dangerous minutes at the start of the second half. He couldn't have been more wrong.

Although team Vålerenga looked down and out, it was suddenly back in the game with a bolt from the blue from Christian Grindheim, the captain, in the 75th minute. The Vålerenga midfielder produced a sublime long-range effort that stunned the Troll Kids with only fifteen minutes left on the clock. He managed to score and bring proceedings back to level ground, sending the entire Ullevaal Stadion into a frenzy of wild cheering.

2:2.

"Damn!" Coach Johansen could not help but curse out loud as he watched the Vålerenga players celebrate. His players had played well on the attack, for sure. They'd followed all his instructions to the letter but still conceded after an unexpected long-range shot.

The game situation was close to prompting him to switch his strategy back to pure attack by sacrificing a part of the defense. He was thinking of instructing Ole Selnæs to push forward and play as an attacking midfielder. That way, his team would constantly commit more numbers forward and increase the chances of scoring.

"Maybe, we can wait it out and see how our players react," Trond Henriksen, the assistant head coach, said to him when he was still mulling over the possible change.

Coach Johansen frowned a bit as he realized that his assistant had seemingly read what was on his mind.

[Have I become that much of an open book?]

Coach Johansen felt a little embarrassed at failing to keep his composure despite being the head coach. He realized he'd become very impatient and strayed close to changing the whole game plan only because of the frustration born of watching his team concede an equalizer.

At that moment, he understood that he still had a lot to learn concerning being the coach of one of the biggest teams in the Tippeligaen. At the very least, he needed to grasp how to conceal his emotions and hide what he was thinking at all times.

"Thank you," he said, nodding at Trond Henriksen. "We shall go with what you have suggested. Let's hope our players can come through and take the lead once again."

"I think they will," Coach Henriksen said, smiling a bit. "I don't think players like Zachary will let the game end like that. So, let's have some faith in them and see how they get themselves out of this. We should also remember that it's good sometimes to let the players have some freedom on the pitch."

"Okay, I'll try to do exactly that," Coach Johansen replied before returning his attention to the pitch.

A few minutes later, he acknowledged that his assistant had guessed right. The Rosenborg players had not let the fact that they'd conceded an equalizing goal dampen their mood. Instead, they'd continued pouring forward and generated even more goal-scoring chances.

But, their efforts were continuously thwarted by some outstanding last-ditch defending by the Vålerenga back-four.

Nicki Nielsen came closest to scoring with a thumping volley in the 80th minute. But his strike was wonderfully saved by Gudmund Kongshavn, the on-form Vålerenga keeper. That was even after a deflection that left him wrong-footed.

Coach Johansen could only sigh after watching yet another missed opportunity. He'd already grown numb to the fact that his players were repeatedly missing chances. So, he didn't yell out a word—but kept watching the match with a forced poker face.

Rosenborg's probing continued as the game approached the 85th minute, though to no avail. That was thanks to nearly all the Vålerenga players moving back to defend. They only left Mustafa Abdellaoue, their center forward, upfront. The rest of the nine players in blue would always remain behind the ball whenever Rosenborg gained possession.

They were clearly playing the 'park the bus' tactic, making it harder for Rosenborg to score. Thanks to their shameless method of defending, the score remained deadlocked at 2:2 as the game progressed to the final four minutes.

"Start floating in more crosses into the box," Coach Johansen decided to break his silence once again on seeing the situation on the pitch. "Zachary! Try testing their keeper using long-range efforts whenever you can. Nicki! Remain standing close to their final man as you wait for an opportunity. Focus! Focus!" He yelled, clapping his hands for emphasis.

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