Thursday, November 7, 2013.
Zachary and his teammates arrived in Salzburg, Austria, by plane at half-past midday. They quickly went through airport procedures and were soon well on their way to Altstadthotel Amadeus Hotel by bus.
Zachary was seated in one of the back seats, listening to catchy music through his Sony headphones and gazing out of the bus window. He watched in a daze as imposing structures and Baroque-style cathedrals flashed by as the bus raced through the wide Salzburg streets.
From what he could see, the cityscape of Salzburg was gorgeous and artistic beyond measure. It was a well-preserved historic center and deserved its status as a world heritage site. It had numerous tourist attractions and stunning views.
The buildings that flashed by the bus window came in many styles. There were Gothic churches, monasteries, and even castles, far off in the distance, making the whole urban center seem like a piece of art. Talk about an architectural museum preserved as a city — that was Salzburg for sure.
The bus picked its way through the city until it slowed down after rounding a corner. It pulled into a driveway a few minutes later. There, coming into view, was the majestic Altstadthotel Amadeus Hotel, stretching along an entire block. Set on a pedestrian street in the Old Town of Salzburg, it was the perfect array of homey hues interlaced with an ambient medieval feel. Zachary was glad that the refined hotel would be their home during their stay in Salzburg.
"Okay, guys," Coach Johansen yelled from the front when the bus came to a stop before the hotel a minute later. "We're here! Let's move it." He clapped his hands as if to provoke some sense of urgency in the Rosenborg players.
"It's almost coming to 1:00 PM. So, we'll first have some lunch immediately after checking into our rooms. After that, we'll rest for an hour to recover from jetlag before heading to a nearby training ground to warm up our muscles for our game against Red Bull Salzburg. I expect all of you to be ready for the session by 3:00 PM. Okay?"
"Yes, coach," the players replied, more or less in unison.
"That's good," the coach said with a smile before leading the way out of the bus.
Zachary was in high spirits as he disembarked from the bus and stepped into the moist autumn air of Salzburg. He couldn't help but take a long look around to savor the scenery.
"What a beautiful city," he mumbled, slinging his gym bag over his shoulder and following his teammates to the hotel's entrance. He'd always enjoyed his international trips as a professional player. The excursions out of Norway brought about a much-needed change of pace in his hectic and monotonous schedule, thereby relaxing his often taut mind.
At that moment, a breeze carrying the aroma of the cityscape, from the automobiles to the nearby River Salzach, blew across his face, washing away his jet lag. He smiled as he pulled the hood of his jacket over his afro.
His heart was already starting to race with anticipation. He was very eager to take part in his first Europa League game after recovering from his injury. He intended to do his best that evening since he understood that Rosenborg couldn't afford to lose another game in the Europa League. His blood was already boiling with the spirit to compete and defeat the tricky Red Bull Salzburg side. That way, he would be a step closer to completing one of the system's Europa League Serial Mission milestones and escaping the system penalty.
**** ****
Later that Night.
Red Bull Arena, Salzburg Austria.
"SALZBURG! *clap*clap* SALZBURG! *clap*clap..."
"ROSENBORG! BOOO! ROSENBORG! BOOO..."
Zachary stood on the field of play, taking in the hostile screams and roars of the opposing fans as he waited for the referee to blow the whistle to signal the kick-off. He wasn't the least bit intimidated by the stadium's atmosphere, even though the yells were anything but friendly. There was no way a little bit of jeering from the home fans was going to unnerve him that night.
He'd grown more confident in his abilities after scoring a brace against Viking over the weekend. Nothing could come close to affecting his mental state at that moment. He was even less bothered by the injury and was rearing to go and unleash carnage at Red Bull Salzburg's defense.
He was completely calm and free from pressure as he took up his midfield position just a few yards from the center circle. With a soft smile outlining his face, he exuded an aura of both boldness and conviction when he started doing stretches to keep his muscles warm. Anyone could see that he was a man on a mission at that moment.
Zachary could feel his muscles tightening and relaxing with ever-increasing intensity as the kick-off drew closer and closer with each passing second. A few beads of sweat made their way onto his stern face as he cast his gaze onto the other side of the pitch. He couldn't help but fall into a moment of deliberation when he noticed that the Red Bull Salzburg players had arrayed themselves into a 4-4-2 starting formation.
Their set-up was a tell-tale sign of their preferred strategy for that game. Zachary could deduce that they would most likely employ both wing-play and crosses against Rosenborg just by studying their starting formation. What made him sure of his conjecture was that Sadio Mane, a famous number-10 in his previous life, was their left-winger. But the good thing was that there would be an equally studious defender, Eric Bailly, marking the tricky number-10 on that flank. Without doubt, there was nothing to fear as long as the untiring Ivorian mechanic was barring the way of the Senegalese forward. As long as Eric Bailly didn't blunder and score an own-goal while defending, he would be okay throughout the entire game. That was Zachary's belief. And that was what had already put his racing heart at ease as the anticipated kick-off drew nearer.
