Chapter 399 The Final Nail in the Coffin
Unai Emery, Sevilla's coach, quickly made two substitutions before the game could restart. He brought on Kevin Gameiro, a forward, in place of Alberto Moreno, the starting left-back. Additionally, the coach subbed in Piotr Trochowski, an attacking midfielder, for Daniel Carriço, the starting defensive midfielder.
The Sevilla Coach had obviously decided to go all out by playing with a 3-3-2-2 offensive formation during the final few minutes. And that was why he was replacing defensive players with creative and attack-minded players. He wanted to employ all his attacking cards to create opportunities and net an equalizer as soon as possible.
On the other hand, Coach Johansen chose not to tamper with his squad. He feared that making any substitution would affect the chemistry and concentration of his field players, especially during the crucial last minutes of the game. So, he took a leap of faith and bet on his players' determination to maintain the lead until the final whistle sounded.
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*FWEEEEEEE*
The referee blew the whistle to restart the match after the substitutes had taken their positions on the pitch. Carlos Bacca, Sevilla's center-forward, didn't dawdle in the slightest. He immediately kicked the ball back into his midfield to restart the proceedings on the field of play.
Ivan Rakitić, Sevilla's captain and attacking midfielder, controlled the ball close to the border of the middle third. He then glanced around briefly before flicking it towards his left to find Piotr Trochowski, the substitute attacking midfielder.
But by then, Nicki Nielsen, the Rosenborg center-forward, had already closed down the Sevilla midfielder. Thus, Piotr Trochowski could only choose to pass the ball backward to find Nicolás Pareja, the center-back.
"Push forward," Coach Unai Emery yelled from the sidelines, pacing the entire length of Sevilla's technical area. "We need a goal right away. So, play with a bit of urgency. Carlos! Gameiro! You're playing as two center-forwards. Push forward and apply pressure on their center-backs. And be ready to receive long balls and crosses from your teammates..."
The words of Coach Unai Emery seemed to be quite effective. The Sevilla players soon raised their playing intensity and moved the ball from one end of the pitch to the other as they tried to stretch Rosenborg's midfield and defense. And finally, during the 92nd minute, they found a rare opening to create a goal-scoring opportunity.
Ivan Rakitić received the ball close to the center circle. He escaped the harassment of Takumi Minamino before unleashing a through pass towards the flanks to find Vitolo, the left-winger.
Vitolo's ball control was incredible. He chested the ball down to the green before feeding it past Karl Toko Ekambi and beating him for pace.
But Ekambi didn't give up and let the Sevilla winger do as he pleased. He chased after Vitolo with all the speed he could muster before sliding in to steal the ball off the winger's feet. His tackle was spot on, and he managed to shove the ball out of play before sending the opponent tumbling to the ground.
"Ref! Foul!" Vitolo and a few more Sevilla players yelled at the top of their voices while glancing expectantly at the referee. However, the referee ignored their complaints and motioned for a Sevilla throw-in.
"That was clearly a foul," Vitolo continued complaining as he picked himself up from the green. "He caught me on my ankle."
But the referee again turned a deaf ear to his appeals and motioned for the Sevilla players to quickly take the throw-in. Vitolo could only shake his head dejectedly before readying himself for the throw-in.
Piotr Trochowski, Sevilla's substitute midfielder, soon took the throw-in. He planted his feet close to the touchline and threw the ball toward the middle to find Stéphane Mbia, Sevilla's defensive midfielder.
Stéphane Mbia controlled the ball well before flicking it toward the far right to find Marko Marin, the substitute right-winger. Marko Marin went into action immediately and chested the ball to the ground. Without losing a second, he unleashed a killer cross towards the box before any Rosenborg players could close him down.
Finally, a chance for Sevilla to score an equalizing goal had arrived with the cross. So, both Carlos Bacca and Kevin Gameiro, the two strikers, went into action within the box. They leaped high to connect with the incoming cross while battling the Rosenborg center-backs.
But in the end, it was Carlos Bacca, the starting forward, who got the last laugh. The center-forward outjumped Eric Bailly and planted a header towards the goal from the edge of the box. However, his effort lacked power, and in the end, it was easily saved by Daniel Örlund, the Rosenborg keeper.
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"Only three minutes out of the six of added time remain to the final whistle," the voice of Peter Drury resounded across the stadium. "However, the Troll Kids, the underdogs from Norway, are still in the lead against Sevilla by three goals to two. They are only moments away from achieving Europa League glory for the first time in history. Can they hold off Sevilla for the remaining three minutes and win the trophy?"
"Sevilla is on the attack again," the commentator continued. "Unai Emery and his men are digging in and doing everything possible to find that equalizing goal. Ivan Rakitić is on the ball. He twists and turns and passes to Vitolo. Vitolo! Vitolo with the cross into the box. Oh! Rosenborg is in trouble..."
At that moment, the tension was in the air as Kevin Gameiro, Sevilla's substitute center-forward, leaped up to connect with the cross at the edge of the box. He easily chested the ball backward—towards the approaching Ivan Rakitić.
Ivan Rakitić was as sharp as ever in the final third. He met the ball with a first-time volley just a few yards outside the box. He hammered it with the top of his boot, sending it rocketing towards Rosenborg's goal like a surface-to-surface missile.
But once again, luck was on Rosenborg's side, and the ball ran into an obstruction in the form of Eric Bailly. The young Ivorian defender threw himself in the ball's path and deflected it out of play for a corner kick. His brilliant effort had saved Rosenborg from conceding the equalizing goal during the 94th minute.
"Two minutes remain to the end of the added time," Peter Drury, the commentator, said as the Sevilla players prepared to take the corner kick. "This might be the last chance for Sevilla to score and bring proceedings back to level terms in this heated final. It is now or never, and all the Sevilla players are flooding into Rosenborg's box, waiting to meet the corner ball. Can they bag a last-minute equalizer and push this game into extra time?"
*FWEEEEEEE*
The referee's whistle soon sounded as a signal for the Sevilla players to take the corner kick. Ivan Rakitić, the Sevilla captain, immediately unleashed a teasing cross from the corner spot towards the crowded box.
The descending corner ball induced a chaotic wave of activities within the box as the players from both teams struggled to outwit their opponents. Some even resorted to playing rough to gain an advantage before connecting with the corner ball.
But at the end of it all, Daniel Örlund, the Rosenborg keeper, came out on top. He leaped high and outjumped all the players in the box before punching the ball away from his goal.
"Oh my, my!" Peter Drury yelled in sync with the cheers and dejected sighs around the stadium. "What a phenomenal save by Daniel Örlund! He has punched the ball to safety. What do we have here? Sevilla is in trouble as Takumi Minamino intercepts the ball a few yards outside the box. It's a chance for a counterattack, and Takumi Minamino brilliantly turns away from Stéphane Mbia. He finds Zachary Bemba with a pass to his right..."
The cheers of the Rosenborg fans resounded around the stadium as Zachary connected with Takumi Minamino's pass. He spun around with the ball glued to his left foot to execute a Marseille turn and escape away from Marko Marin. He then accelerated to his top speed with the intent to race towards the other end of the pitch to advance the counterattack.
But a moment later, Zachary felt a strong tug on his shirt and figured that one of the opponents was hell-bent on stopping him, even by relying on foul means. But since it was the last minute of gameplay, he didn't relent and struggled to continue moving forward. He yearned to help his team to create one more clear goal-scoring opportunity before the final whistle.
Zachary's mind went into overdrive mode as he toiled to escape from the harassment of the opponent. As usual, the Zinedine-Pirlo mental Juju bloomed in great splendor, and his vision of the pitch became crystal clear. Within an instant, he spotted a couple of his teammates, who had already rushed forward to support the counterattack.
"Here goes nothing."
Zachary exerted all his effort and kicked the ball towards the right flank as the opponent was in the process of pulling him to the ground. His only hope was for the referee to play an advantage. That way, his teammates would continue advancing the counterattack and possibly score since there weren't any opponents barring their way forward.
"Oh my!" Peter Drury yelled in sync with the cheers. "Federico Fazio, the Sevilla center-back, has tackled Zachary to the ground. But Zachary didn't give up and passed the ball towards the right flank to find Paul Kasongo. What is the referee's decision? Will he award a free-kick for the foul? Oh no! The referee has signaled for an advantage play, and the counterattack is still on. It's Paul Kasongo on the ball. He has yards of space ahead of him. Kasongo..."
Kasongo sprinted towards Sevilla's goal like a Ferrari on a formula one race track. His short strides quickly ate up the yards of space — and before long; he stepped into the final third. He quickly approached the keeper, who'd come out of goal to meet him.
Kasongo immediately chose to play it safe instead of going head to head with the fast-approaching keeper. He slowed down slightly before passing the ball to his left to find Nicki Nielsen, who'd been running in sync with him.
Another clear goal-scoring opportunity for Rosenborg presented itself as Nicki connected with Kasongo's pass at the edge of Sevilla's box. Without losing a moment, the center-forward smashed the ball into the back of the empty net to score Rosenborg's 4th goal for the night. He had added a final nail in Sevilla's coffin and cemented Rosenborg's advantage during the last minute of added time.
