The Greatest of All Time

Chapter 54 - Signs Of A Comeback

The atmosphere in the dressing room was anything but somber. It was nothing like any break during a competitive match. Gone was the tension and anxiety the players had felt before the game.

There was chatter among Zachary's teammates, like old friends catching up. Everyone talked in a relaxed manner and made jokes as if they had already won the match.

Zachary was surprised since he knew one could never count matches as won—until the final whistle. Worrisome thoughts looped around in his mind until there was room for nothing else.

There had been many matches in history where teams made comebacks from disadvantages of three goals or more and won. Famously, Liverpool had managed to win the UEFA Champions League final of 2005 after overcoming a three-goal deficit within the second half.

Zachary didn't want to leave the Riga team any chance of pulling off the same trick. He hoped the coach would talk some sense into his teammates before they messed up in the second half.

Paul Otterson came up to him and interrupted his train of thought. "Why do you look worried even when we are three goals ahead? Come and join us. Why are you sitting there in the corner?" He asked while fanning himself with his shirt.

Zachary sighed, shaking his head. He chugged down some water before answering: "I don't like the atmosphere here in the dressing room."

Paul grinned. "Relax. The players know what to do when they get back to the pitch. We might even clinch this one with more than five goals. And here I thought Riga would be a tough opponent since they have the home advantage. They've simply been a letdown." He sighed audibly. Zachary saw that his Swedish flatmate was in a good mood after scoring a goal in the first half. He decided to remain silent and keep his worries to himself.

He'd come to the realization that many players unknown to him in his previous life were performing well in matches. For instance, the captain of the Riga team looked like a phenomenal player. He dribbled, passed, and defended like a first-rate midfielder.

Zachary was worried his teammates' confidence would reduce the team's chances against a Riga squad with such a good player.

The coaches came into the dressing room soon after. Coach Johannsen was in his default somber mood. His assistant Bjorn Peters was all smiles, high-fiving the players and congratulating them upon their performance.

"Quiet," bellowed Coach Johannsen.

All the players ceased their murmurings and focused on the coach who stood before the whiteboard.

"I need all of you to stay focused on the game until the final whistle. We'll maintain the same game strategy for the second half. Just make sure you don't concede..."

The coach laid the approach for the second half while assigning individual roles to all the players. He expounded on the weaknesses he had observed which could be—exploited in the Riga team's formation. Once he finished delivering his talk, he sent the players back to the pitch.

However, Zachary still felt worried about his teammates' mood. They were still behaving as if they had already won the game—even after listening to Coach Johansen's address.

As they exited the dressing room, Zachary approached Magnus, who also served as the assistant captain, to discuss the problem.

"I think the players are overconfident," he began. "I'm worried we will concede unnecessarily at the start of the second half."

Magnus looked around at the rest of the players before replying. "I'll keep on reminding the defenders when we get back on the pitch," he said. "Don't worry. I have your back in the defensive midfield. We only need one more goal to kill their momentum in the second half." He smiled before running to his position.