However, team Benfica’s efforts were rendered futile again and again by the defensive tactics of Rosenborg. The Troll Kids adapted quickly and responded well to Benfica’s attacks during the opening stages of the second half. They followed Coach Johansen’s game plan to the letter and arrayed themselves into a 4-5-1 defensive shape to weather Benfica’s relentless waves of offensives. Their teamwork was commendable, and even the attack-minded players, like Zachary, Takumi, and Nicki Nielsen, fell back to defend.

The minutes flashed by, and the Benfica players continued launching endless waves of attacks against Rosenborg. The Benfica attackers were on fire, and whenever opportunities arose, they would unleash long and mid-range shots towards the goal. They were obviously pulling out all stops to score the equalizing goal.

But again, due to Rosenborg’s team discipline and ultra-defensive tactics, team Benfica repeatedly fell short and failed to score. And despite the fact that team Benfica had more than fifteen shots on target by the 85th minute of gameplay, the score remained 1:0 in favor of Rosenborg.

—–

On the side of Benfica, anxieties were already running high as the game approached its closing stages. There were only five minutes plus injury time remaining to the end of the game. So, Benfica had to score a goal soon and bring the proceedings back to level terms. Otherwise, the Portuguese side would have to bow out of the Europa League that very night.

On the sidelines: Coach Jorge Jesus was a nervous wreck, and he couldn’t sit still any longer. He made a snap decision and immediately introduced three substitutions into the game when the ball went out of play for a Benfica throw-in. He brought on André Almeida – an attack-minded wing-back, Lima dos Santos – a center-forward, and Ivan Cavaleiro – a left-winger. The three substitutes replaced the seemingly out-of-stamina Miralem Sulejmani – a left-winger, Óscar Cardozo – a center-forward, and André Gomes – a defensive midfielder.

*FWEEEEEEE*

The referee blew the whistle, signaling for team Benfica to take the throw-in after the three substitutes had taken up their positions on the pitch.

André Almeida, the substitute right-back, immediately went into action to take the throw-in. He planted his feet before the touchline on the right flank and threw the ball towards Enzo Pérez, one of Benfica’s three midfielders.

Enzo Pérez shrugged off Takumi Minamino before stepping forward to meet the ball. He brought it to the ground before whirling around and squaring a pass to Ljubomir Fejsa, his counterpart in midfield.

Ljubomir Fejsa controlled the ball skillfully to skip past Nicki Nielsen. He then shoved the ball forward with the tip of his boot before kicking it towards the right wing to find Rodrigo Moreno Machado.

Rodrigo, Benfica’s right-winger for the night, leaped high and chested the ball close to the touchline. Before any opponents could close him down, he brought it down to the green before passing it into the middle of the field to find Enzo Pérez. The latter also exhibited a sense of urgency as he received the ball and immediately flicked it back to his right to pick out André Almeida on the right flank.

André Almeida received the ball and fed it past Mikael Dorsin, Rosenborg’s left-back. He then circumvented Mikael before exploding with pace on the right flank. Soon, he stepped into the final third and let loose a curling cross towards Rosenborg’s box.

However, the cross didn’t bear any fruit since Eric Bailly, Rosenborg’s center-back, outjumped the rest of the players in the box before heading the ball out of play.

*FWEEEEEEE*

The referee blew the whistle and pointed to the corner flag.

The Benfica players quickly swarmed into Rosenborg’s box, and the referee blew the whistle again. André Almeida, the substitute right-back, took the corner kick and floated in a teasing ball into the crowded box.

At that moment, all the players within Rosenborg’s box went into motion. They all struggled to outmaneuver their opponents before leaping high to meet the corner ball. But in the end, it was Lima dos Santos, Benfica’s substitute center-forward, who got the last laugh. The striker timed his jump well and battled Mikael Dorsin in the air before planting a header towards the inside of the right post.

Daniel Örlund, Rosenborg’s keeper, reacted almost instantly to save the effort with an acrobatic dive. However, the sheer power behind the header rendered his efforts futile. The ball floated past his outstretched fingertips by mere centimeters before homing into the back of the net.

—–

Rosenborg BK 1 (2) : SL Benfica 1 (3)

—–

SILENCE!

A wave of silence swept across Lerkendal Stadium as Benfica had managed to score the equalizing goal during the 88th minute of gameplay. With only two minutes plus added time remaining to the end of the game, the Benfica players had accomplished a comeback. They were finally ahead of Rosenborg by a goal when considering the aggregate score. And if they could defend well during the last few minutes and stop Rosenborg from scoring again, they would be the team heading to Turin for the Europa League finals.

In the stands, the Rosenborg fans could only place their hands on their heads as they watched the Benfica players celebrating the goal. The goal had obviously ruined their morale.

During the previous Europa League fixtures, their club had come out on top against tough European teams like Juventus, Lyon, and Fiorentina. But that night, they were on the cusp of losing to Benfica — a side that was much weaker than most of their previous opponents. The fact was demoralizing, and most Rosenborg fans felt their hearts slowly sinking into the abyss of desperation.

”Damn it! Damn it!” One of the fans in Rosenborg’s black and white colors cursed. His name was John Hansen, and he was a part-time YouTuber and a driver who had once driven Zachary from the airport. At that moment, the frustration he was feeling had already soared past the stadium’s roof and shot into the night sky. His eyes were red, and his fists clenched tightly.

What was more vexing was that he had even placed a relatively large bet on the match. Due to his confidence in Zachary’s prolific form, he had utilized all his annual savings to place the bet on Rosenborg winning the second leg and qualifying for the final. But just when the match was about to end, the damn Benfica had scored an equalizer, messing up his hopes and dreams. As a result, he was a couple of times more depressed than most other Rosenborg supporters in the stadium.

”Can we really accomplish another comeback? Can we overcome this hurdle and qualify for the finals?” John Hansen mumbled as he fidgeted about in his seat. He was uneasy, especially since he had a weird feeling that Rosenborg’s luck spell in the Europa League had finally ended.

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