Against All Odds: Legacy Of A Football King
Chapter 245: Tactical Substitutions 2

Chapter 245: Tactical Substitutions 2

But Viergever got there first, sliding in with a crucial clearance!

[Fantastic defending!] Ronald praised. [He read that perfectly!]

Twente weren’t done. The ball fell to Chadli at the edge of the 18 yard box. He let it bounce once before unleashing a thunderous volley!

The stadium held its breath.

But Alvarado, yet again, reacted instantly, diving to his right and tipping it around the post!

[Stop it, Alvarado!] Erik shouted. [This is becoming a one-man show!]

Chadli couldn’t believe it. He clutched his head, staring at the AZ Alkmaar keeper in frustration.

[It’s almost unfair,] Ronald chuckled. [Twente are throwing everything at him, and he’s still standing tall.]

The resulting corner was taken short. Tadić and Brama exchanged passes before Tadić whipped in a curling cross.

Fer rose above everyone again, meeting it with a powerful header—

Straight at Alvarado!

The keeper held onto it, then fell to the ground to eat up precious seconds.

[Twente are running out of ideas,] Erik said. [And more importantly, running out of time.]

Alvarado finally got to his feet and booted it long.

Adam, making an instant impact, controlled the ball in midfield, dodged past Brama’s sliding tackle, and threaded a pass down the right to Beerens.

[Look at Adam go!] Ronald said. [He’s fresh, and it shows!]

Beerens, quick as ever, darted past Tiendalli and raced toward the byline.

He looked up once, then drilled a low cross toward the penalty spot.

Altidore was there, muscling past Wisgerhof, his right foot cocked back to strike—

But Bjelland threw himself in the way, blocking the shot at the last second!

[What a block!] Erik shouted. [Twente are still fighting!]

The ball bounced back to Adam, who tried to curl one into the top corner—

But Boschker, despite everything, made an acrobatic save, tipping it over the bar!

[This match is relentless!] Ronald laughed. [Both teams are going for it!]

The corner was taken short again, Benjamin linking up with Adam. The youngster flicked it over a defender, darted into the 18 yard box, then drilled a low shot toward the near post!

Boschker reacted quickly, getting down to smother it.

[Adam looks sharp,] Erik said. [He wants to make a statement here!]

The final 15 minutes approached, and Twente were throwing everything forward.

Fer, desperate to break through, muscled past Henriksen and drove toward the edge of the 18 yard box. He had options, but instead, he went for power—striking a vicious shot toward the top corner!

[Fer goes for it!] Erik yelled.

The ball swerved dangerously mid-air, but Alvarado wasn’t having any of it. He sprang to his left, fingertips grazing the ball, pushing it just wide!

[And Alvarado denies him again!] Ronald groaned. [He’s putting on a goalkeeping clinic tonight!]

Fer let out a frustrated yell, clapping his hands together. He knew time was slipping away.

Twente rushed the corner, Tadić delivering a teasing ball into the six-yard box. Castaignos jumped, twisting his body to guide the header goalward—

But it was just over the bar again!

[Another miss for Castaignos!] Erik exclaimed. [That was a golden chance!]

Castaignos buried his face in his hands, knowing he should’ve done better. The Twente bench looked on, helpless, as another opportunity slipped away.

[You can see the desperation creeping in,] Ronald noted. [They need something—anything—to go their way.]

AZ Alkmaar weren’t sitting back completely, though. Whenever they won possession, they looked to break quickly.

Johansson intercepted a loose pass and immediately sent Benjamin sprinting down the left.

The youngster burned past Tiendalli, knocking the ball forward before cutting inside with a sudden burst of acceleration.

[Here comes Benjamin!] Erik said. [Twente can’t let him get into the 18 yard box!]

Schilder scrambled across, lunging in, but Benjamin was too quick—he skipped past the challenge and squared the ball across goal.

Altidore was waiting.

He turned, shot—but Boschker threw himself at it, deflecting the ball with an outstretched glove!

[What a stop!] Ronald shouted. [Boschker refuses to go down without a fight!]

The ball ricocheted out to Beerens, who took a touch and fired toward the empty net—

But Tiendalli blocked it on the line!

[Unbelievable drama!] Erik roared. [This game just won’t let up!]

The Twente defenders scrambled to clear, the ball eventually hoofed away into midfield.

Twente threw a desperate ball forward. Bjelland, now playing as an emergency striker, challenged Viergever in the air. The ball fell kindly to Chadli, who flicked it into space for Tadić.

[A good chance for Twente!] Ronald shouted.

Tadić shifted it onto his left foot, eyes locked on goal, and curled a shot—

But it never reached Alvarado.

Martens, throwing his body on the line, flung himself in the way, the ball smashing off his chest and rebounding to safety.

[That’s commitment!] Erik praised. [Martens sacrificing himself for the cause!]

The AZ Alkmaar fans roared in approval. Their team was hanging on, but Twente refused to stop pushing.

Another long ball came in, aimed at Fer, who had drifted into the 18 yard box. He outmuscled Adam, chested it down, and swung his right foot through the ball—

Blocked again! This time, it was Viergever, standing tall, getting his body in the way.

[AZ Alkmaar are putting everything on the line!] Erik shouted. [They know how close they are!]

The rebound fell to Gutiérrez, who was lurking just outside of the 18 yard box. He took a quick touch and lashed a shot toward goal.

Alvarado saw it late due to the bodies obstructing his view. But he still got down in time, stretching his arm out to push it wide!

[How is he still making these saves?] Ronald laughed. [Alvarado is having the game of his life!]

Twente couldn’t believe it. Their players had their hands on their heads, staring at the AZ Alkmaar goalkeeper in frustration.

Boschker, all the way from his goal, was waving them forward. Time was slipping away.

[They’re running out of time,] Erik said. [This has to be one of their last chances.]