”Nice game,” Coach Johansen said while giving Zachary a bear hug. “That run in the 70th minute was incredible. And great thinking when you passed the ball to Takumi instead of Nicki. None of the defenders expected you to make such a choice. Even I, your coach, was quite surprised by your choice.”

”Sometimes, football is all about keeping your opponents guessing,” Zachary replied, stepping away from the coach’s embrace. “But, to be honest, I was quite anxious at that moment. I couldn’t have known that my choice was the right one.”

When he passed the ball to Takumi, he’d wished to confuse the opponents. He understood that the Fiorentina coach should’ve already researched his playing patterns from Rosenborg’s previous matches. So, the only way to go at such a crucial moment was to make a decision he wouldn’t have previously made so as to catch the defenders off-guard.

”It’s good that your choice bore fruit in the end,” Coach Johansen said, patting his shoulder. “We might have a chance of even going further than we expected in the Europa League. Keep up the spirit and hard work.”

”Thanks, coach,” Zachary replied with a smile. They then exchanged a few more words before the coach stepped away to talk and celebrate with the rest of his players.

Zachary, on his part, felt like he’d unloaded a huge burden off his shoulders. He’d finally accomplished one milestone of the system’s 2013

/14 Europa League Serial Challenge and escaped the retribution for failing the mission. By helping his team qualify for the Europa League’s round of sixteen, he would no longer have to worry about paying a 120,000 juju point penalty to the system. At that moment, he was totally relaxed.

—–

Since it was an away game, the Rosenborg players didn’t spend much time celebrating after the game. They only sang a few Rosenborg victory chants in the dressing room before packing their things and boarding the bus back to their hotel for the night.

—–

Zachary had a light dinner with his teammates at the hotel restaurant after taking a quick shower. The whole atmosphere around the team was still jubilant. Some players even put forward the suggestion of holding a small victory party at the hotel.

However, Zachary quietly excused himself before heading back to his room for the night. He still had to continue his training to master the Robinho-step-over juju when he returned to Trondheim the following day. More than anything, he needed to allow his body to rest so as to boost his post-match recovery. Thus, wasting time partying was a big no for him.

When back in his room, Zachary switched on the television, hoping to pass the time before going to bed by watching the sports news for the day. However, to his distress, he soon found out that most of the channels available were only broadcasting using the Italian language. So, he could only resort to streaming the ESPN News English Channel on his phone by relying on the fast wireless internet within the hotel.

”Several Europa League matches have just concluded,” the voice of the ESPN presenter boomed in his ears when he connected his headphones. “In a shocker earlier today, Red Bull Salzburg managed to defeat the Dutch giants – Ajax. Goals from Mike van der Hoorn, Sadio Mané, and Jonathan Soriano saw the Austrian outfit decimate the Dutch giants 3:1.”

”In other news,” the reporter continued. “Tottenham defeated Dnipro 3:1 to overcome a one-goal deficit from the first leg and qualify for the round of sixteen. The other Europa League giants, including Sevilla, Napoli, Benfica, Juventus, and Lyon, also emerged victorious from their respective fixtures to qualify for the next round.”

”However, there was one unexpected result from today’s fixtures. Rosenborg, a team from Norway, managed to defeat Fiorentina 1:0 away from home in Florence, Italy. A goal from Takumi Minamino ensured that the Norwegian giants emerged victorious with an aggregate score of 3:2 at the end of the night. They’ll now have to face Juventus in the next round of sixteen. Can they create more miracles and defeat another Italian team? With me here…”

Zachary listened for a few more minutes before switching off the channel. A bitter smile outlined his facial features as he placed his phone to the side. As expected, Juventus had defeated Trabzonspor, the Turkish team. Goals from Arturo Vidal and Daniel Osvaldo had ensured that the Italian giants came out on top at the end of the night. As a result, they had become Rosenborg’s next opponents in the Europa League’s round of sixteen.

”Damn!”

Zachary could only curse at Rosenborg’s poor luck. First, they had to face off against Fiorentina, a relatively strong team in Europe. However, after barely qualifying, they again had to play against an even stronger Italian side – Juventus. As far as Zachary was concerned, it was the most damn luck possible.

”Bzzt Bzzzt! Bzzt Bzzzt…”

Suddenly, the phone, which he’d already placed to the side, started vibrating. Zachary couldn’t help but frown, wondering who could be calling that late in the night, especially after a game. But, he was even more amazed after realizing that the phone call seemed to be from DR Congo, his homeland.

”Hello,” he said a bit hesitantly after accepting the call. “Who’s this?”

”Hello, Zach,” a familiar voice answered in French from the other end of the line. “Sorry for calling you this late. It’s me, Coach Damata.”

”Oh, Coach Damata!” Zachary exclaimed, his tone relaxing. “How are you, coach?”

”I’m okay,” the coach replied. “However, I come bearing some bad news. That’s why I’m calling late at night?”

”What’s the matter?” Zachary asked, his heart skipping a beat.

”Well, it’s about your grandma.”

”My grandma! What’s wrong with her?”

”Well,” the coach replied from the other end of the line. “She collapsed earlier today, and we had to rush her to hospital. As I speak now, she’s still in a coma, the cause of her condition unknown.”

”She collapsed?”

Zachary could feel a sickening pool of dread forming in his belly after receiving the bad news from Coach Damata. A few years ago, he’d even transferred his grandma from Bukavu to a new city to keep her safe. However, Zachary was now hearing that she was facing a life-threatening condition. He couldn’t prevent the wave of panic from washing over him as he imagined the worst.

”What are the doctors saying?” Zachary asked after letting out a long, drawn-out breath. “Have they done any tests?”

”The tests are not yet out,” Coach Damata replied. “But we should be able to get the results by tomorrow morning.”

”Oh!” Zachary frowned. “Which hospital are you in?”

”Centre Médical du Centre Ville,” Coach Damata said. “It’s one of the best hospitals here in Lubumbashi.”

”Oh, okay,” Zachary said. “Keep me posted when you get the results.”

”No problem, Zachary,” Coach Damata replied. “As soon as I get the results, I’ll call.”

”Thanks for all the help, coach,” Zachary said. “Do you need money for the treatment costs, by the way?”

”No,” Coach Damata was quick to reply. “There’s some good amount of money remaining from the funds you have sent to us over the previous few months. It should be enough.”

”Okay, then,” Zachary said. “In case anything serious comes up, I’ll ask for permission from my coaches and come to that side. But for now, I’ll leave everything to you, coach.”

”Okay, Zach,” the coach replied. “Feel at ease. I’ll do my best to take care of her.”

—–

The following morning, the Rosenborg squad boarded a plane back to Trondheim. On arriving at Værnes Airport, they found many fans waiting for them.

”Shalalalalalala… oh Rosenborg…”

Most of the fans, dressed in Rosenborg’s black and white colors, were crowding the airport gate, singing at the top of their voices. They became even more crazed when the Rosenborg squad marched out of the airport gate. The security personnel had to act to keep them in check.

However, all the commotion did not stop the jubilant Rosenborg players from signing a few autographs for their fans. Regular starting players, like Mikael Dorsin, Nicki Nielsen, and even the newly-signed Takumi Minamino, all spent a few minutes signing their names on various items presented by the supporters. They were clearly having a good time since they were smiling throughout the ordeal.

Zachary was also among the group of players signing autographs. However, his thoughts were somewhere else, causing him to frown from time to time.

He hadn’t received any update from Coach Damata about his grandmother’s condition yet. So, he was very anxious. The noise made by the fans, which had always been like music to his ears, sounded like scratching sounds. He wished to exit the airport and go someplace quiet as soon as possible.

”Zachary,” the familiar voice of Coach Johansen sounded from behind him. “You seem out of it! Are you okay?”

”I’m just feeling a bit light-headed,” Zachary responded, not wanting to worry the coach. “I just need to sit down for a bit.”

”Then, just head into the bus and wait for us there,” the coach said. “Your teammates can deal with the fans.”

”Thanks, coach,” Zachary said. “I’ll go now,” he added before stepping towards the bus.

He was eager to settle into a quiet place before trying out Coach Damata’s phone again. He couldn’t feel at ease before understanding his grandma’s condition.