Against All Odds: Legacy Of A Football King
Chapter 229: End-to-end Drama

Chapter 229: End-to-end Drama

The rebound spilled loose again! Guðmundsson reacted first, stabbing a shot toward the bottom corner—but it rolled agonizingly wide off the post.

[IT’S JUST PAST THE POST! HOW DID THAT NOT GO IN?!]

[David, AZ Alkmaar had three chances in the span of five seconds! Udinese are somehow still in this match!]

Guðmundsson buried his face in his hands. Altidore turned away in frustration. The AZ Alkmaar players knew it—that was the chance to put the game to bed.

Brkić wasted no time. He scrambled up, grabbed the ball, and launched it long.

[Oh, look at this, Marco! Udinese are on the break!]

Di Natale peeled off his marker near the halfway line. The ball dropped perfectly into his path.

He took one touch, two touches...

He turned, lifting his head—Muriel was sprinting down the right flank, waving for it.

[This is danger for AZ Alkmaar! They’ve committed too many bodies forward!]

Di Natale curled a pass into space. Muriel latched onto it, his pace taking him past Reijnen.

AZ Alkmaar were caught slacking. Only Viergever and Johansson were back.

The away fans held their breath.

Henriksen and Adam scrambled to recover, but Muriel was already cutting inside.

[Udinese are in here! Big chance!]

Di Natale sprinted into the 18 yard box. Muriel spotted him. The pass was played across and he took a first time hit—

DI NATALE SHOOTS!

ALVARADO—!

The goalkeeper managed a full-stretch dive, palming the ball away from the goal! The ball skimmed past the post!

[WHAT A SAVE! ESTEBAN ALVARADO KEEPS AZ ALKMAAR IN FRONT!]

[David, that is top-class goalkeeping! Di Natale struck that so well, but Alvarado somehow gets a touch on it!]

The Udinese fans groaned. Di Natale held his head in disbelief. Francesco Guidolin turned away with his hands on his knees, exhaling sharply.

In the AZ Alkmaar penalty box, Alvarado punched the ground in relief before leaping up, yelling at his defenders to wake up from their slumber.

Fweeee!

The referee pointed to the corner flag. Udinese weren’t done yet.

[Marco, this game is hanging by a thread! AZ Alkmaar pushing for a winner, Udinese striking on the counter—this is football at its best!]

Fernandes placed the ball, the tension thick in the air. Inside the 18 yard box, red and black shirts jostled for space.

Di Natale lingered near the penalty spot, Danilo had also pushed forward, and even Badu was lurking for scraps.

[AZ Alkmaar need to stay switched on here. Udinese are dangerous from set-pieces!]

Fernandes raised his arm—then swung the corner in.

It curled toward the far post, dipping late.

Danilo rose highest, his forehead meeting the ball—but his header was straight at Alvarado!

[Comfortable save, but that was a warning, Marco!]

Alvarado didn’t waste time. He sprinted to the edge of his box and launched a massive throw down the left flank.

And there was Benjamin.

[Here we go again—BENJAMIN BURSTS FORWARD!]

The Udinese players were still retreating, their shape broken from the previous counter.

Benjamin’s first touch was perfect, cushioning the ball in stride before he exploded past Basta.

The away end roared in anticipation.

[This is trouble for Udinese! Benjamin’s got space!]

Domizzi scrambled across, but Benjamin didn’t slow down. He cut inside, skipping past one challenge, then another—and suddenly, he was at the edge of the 18 yard box.

Altidore was in the middle with his arms up, waiting.

Benjamin shaped to cross—then chopped back onto his right foot, losing his marker.

[He’s done him! Benjamin’s inside the 18 yard box!]

He spotted Adam ghosting in at the far post and chipped a delicate ball across—Adam met it with a side-footed volley.

But it was BLOCKED!

Danilo again! The ball bounced loose inside the 18 yard box and Altidore who was lurking close by spun, striking the ball with a first time shot.

But it was DEFLECTED!

Adam lunged again with a follow up strike but he couldn’t generate enough power to force the ball in—Brkić smothered it!

[WHAT A SEQUENCE! HOW DID THAT NOT GO IN?!]

The Udinese goalkeeper clutched the ball to his chest, his teammates collapsing in exhaustion.

[David, my heart can’t take this! End-to-end football! Udinese hanging on for dear life!]

Brkić got up and booted the ball long again.

Di Natale chased it down, but Viergever was there this time. He rose, nodded it back to Alvarado, and AZ Alkmaar reset.

The clock hit 85 minutes.

[Five minutes left of normal time, plus an additional stoppage. Is there one, two, or three final twist in this game?]

Alvarado rolled it short to Mathias Johansson. The right-back took a touch, he looked up and saw Benjamin gesturing on the far side.

The pass he played was quick and direct. Benjamin controlled it, taking off again—And the Udinese defense braced themselves for yet another nightmare.

[BENJAMIN’S ON THE MOVE AGAIN!]

The Udinese backline scrambled, exhausted but still alert. Basta, Domizzi, and Danilo had spent the night chasing shadows, and now, as Benjamin drove forward once more, their legs felt like lead mixed with reinforced bars.

[David, just look at him! He’s still got energy to burn!]

Basta stepped in, throwing a desperate challenge—but Benjamin skipped past him effortlessly. With a flick of the boot, and a quick shift of balance, he was gone.

[Oh, that’s silky! Basta’s been left behind!]

Danilo came next. He lunged to block the space, but Benjamin saw it. With a sharp feint, he cut inside with the ball seemingly glued to his feet.

The stadium held its breath.

He was at the edge of the 18 yard box.

Altidore was calling for it. Henriksen and Guðmundsson were arriving late.

Benjamin had multiple options.

He took a split second to look up—and decided to go for goal.

He let loose a thunderous strike from the edge of the 18 yard box.

It swerved viciously, dipping toward the far corner—Brkić reacted, diving full stretch.

He got his fingertips on it. The ball clipped the outside of the post and rolled out.

[OH, MY WORD! THAT WAS INCHES AWAY!]

[David, I thought that was it! Everyone thought that was in!]

Benjamin exhaled, hands on his head. He had caught it so sweetly, literally the perfect strike, yet the ball had refused to go in.

Brkić was still sprawled on the ground with sweat pouring down his head. He pounded the turf exhaustingly before getting up and barking at his defenders. They were hanging by a loose thread.

[Three minutes left! Two more attacks, maybe?]