Against All Odds: Legacy Of A Football King
Chapter 252: Crazy Opening Minutes

Chapter 252: Crazy Opening Minutes

Rob Townsend: [BENJAMIN RIJKAARD... TAKE A BOW! THAT IS OUTRAGEOUS!]

The AZ Alkmaar bench exploded in celebration. Players off their feet, fists in the air. The coaching staff embraced, some still processing what they’d just witnessed.

Gerrard stood still, hands on his hips. Reina sat on the grass, shaking his head. Carragher, looking back at the net, exhaled sharply.

Brendan Rodgers clenched his jaw. On the touchline, Gertjan Verbeek punched the air, a grin stretching across his face.

Benjamin wheeled away with his arms outstretched. He ran toward the corner flag, sliding on his knees as teammates swarmed him.

Anfield was stunned. A moment of silence followed. Then frustrated groans, angry shouts. Some Liverpool fans applauded—not in support, but in reluctant respect.

Jamie Carter: [We are witnessing something special here. Benjamin, in his first-ever European game at Anfield, just embarrassed a Liverpool legend. And then had the composure to finish like that]

Rob Townsend: [This is what the great players do. They don’t just take part—they take over]

The scoreboard changed: Liverpool 0-1 AZ Alkmaar. 12th minute.

Anfield still buzzed, the stunned silence was gradually replaced by murmurs, then whistles from the home crowd. The away section was alive—flags waving, voices rising in a chorus of disbelief and celebration.

Benjamin jogged back toward his half, his expression composed but his eyes burning with intensity. His teammates patted his back, grinning, still digesting the sheer audacity of what he’d just pulled off.

Rob Townsend: [Jamie, let’s talk about that for a second. A rainbow flick. Inside Anfield. Against Jamie Carragher. How often do you see something like that?]

Jamie Carter: [Almost never. You don’t do that against a defender of Carragher’s experience unless you have supreme confidence. And to have the awareness, the execution... it’s breathtaking.]

Down on the touchline, Rodgers clapped his hands aggressively, urging his players forward, his face betraying a mix of frustration and disbelief.

Gerrard turned to his teammates, motioning for calm, but there was an undeniable edge to his expression.

Fweeeee!~

Liverpool restarted quickly, passing with more urgency now. The Kop found its voice again, roaring them forward.

Rob Townsend: [Liverpool won’t take that lightly. Expect a response.]

And it came fast.

Sterling, receiving deep on the right, darted forward, skipping past Martens with ease. His acceleration forced Viergever into retreat, opening up space. Sterling didn’t hesitate—he whipped a cross toward the near post.

Suárez lunged and with a flick of his boot, the ball zipped toward goal. Alvarado reacted—his body low and arms outstretched to make a reflex save.

The ball deflected wide, rattling the advertising boards behind the goal.

Jamie Carter: [Alvarado again! Suárez thought that was in!]

Suárez slapped the turf in frustration before springing back to his feet. The crowd’s energy surged, feeding off the urgency in Liverpool’s play.

Rob Townsend: [Liverpool have woken up now. AZ Alkmaar need to weather this storm.]

The ensuing corner curled into the 18 yard box. Carragher rose high, determined to make amends.

He sent a powerful header on target. But it was blocked.

The ball ricocheted off Viergever’s chest, falling at the edge of the 18 yard box.

Gerrard pounced, latching onto a strike laced with venom, screaming toward goal.

Bodies in white lunged in the way.

The shot deflected.

The ball spun back toward the left side of the 18 yard box, where Enrique rushed forward.

He met it with his left foot, driving low.

Alvarado dived, getting a fingertip touch, pushing it past the post.

Anfield groaned in frustration.

Jamie Carter: [How many times has Alvarado saved them already? Liverpool are knocking hard now!]

Rob Townsend: [AZ Alkmaar need a moment to settle. Right now, they’re hanging on.]

Rodgers paced the technical area, gesturing wildly. His side was pressing, controlling possession, but that final moment kept eluding them.

AZ Alkmaar, under pressure, kept their lines tight. Martens, shouting orders, pointed for his teammates to stay compact. Benjamin, positioned just behind Altidore, waited for an opening—his eyes sharp, reading the game.

Then, an interception in the midfield. Martens stepped in, stealing the ball from Lucas.

In an instant, AZ Alkmaar broke forward. Berghuis peeled away on the right while Benjamin burst through the center.

Rob Townsend: [And here they come again! AZ Alkmaar breaking at speed!]

A single pass from Martens split the Liverpool midfield.

Benjamin sprinted into the open field, the crowd’s noise rising once more.

Jamie Carter: [This is where Benjamin is dangerous! Open space, defenders backing up—he loves these moments!]

Agger and Carragher scrambled to close him down, their positioning tight. Reina, sensing the danger, stepped forward, trying to shrink the angle. Benjamin glanced up, reading the field, calculating.

Berghuis was sprinting to his right, calling for it. Altidore, trailing behind, positioned himself for a cutback.

Rob Townsend: [Options for Benjamin—what does he do here?]

He sold the pass—his body feinting right toward Berghuis. Agger took the bait, shifting slightly.

That was all Benjamin needed.

With a slick movement, he chopped the ball left, accelerating past Agger into the 18 yard box.

Jamie Carter: [Oh, that’s brilliant! He’s through!]

Carragher lunged, stretching a leg to block the shot.

Benjamin anticipated it. With the outside of his right boot, he dinked the ball just before Carragher’s challenge connected.

Time slowed for a brief second...

Suddenly, Carragher’s trailing foot clipped Benjamin’s left leg and down he went.

Fweeeee!~

The referee’s whistle cut through the noise with no hesitation. He pointed straight to the penalty spot.

Anfield erupted—half in fury, half in disbelief.

Rob Townsend: [Penalty! He’s given it!]

Jamie Carter: [Carragher can’t believe it, but there’s contact! Benjamin got there first!]

Carragher shot up with his arms outstretched, pleading his case. "I got the ball!" he insisted. His teammates swarmed the referee, but the decision was made.

The referee, unbothered, reached into his pocket and pulled out a yellow card. He held it up, much to the frustration of the Liverpool players and fans.

Rob Townsend: [Carragher into the book. And AZ Alkmaar have a golden chance to double their lead.]

Jamie Carter: [There’s always debate about these, but look—Benjamin gets a touch before Carragher’s boot clips him. In real time, that’s a penalty all day.]

Martens jogged over, offering Benjamin a hand. As he pulled him up, he gave a subtle fist bump—acknowledging the youngster’s composure under pressure.

Benjamin exhaled, shaking out his left leg. The impact still lingered, but he was fine.

Meanwhile, Altidore had already taken hold of the ball. He stepped up to the spot, placing it down with a measured calmness.

Reina bounced on his line, pointing, trying to psych him out.

The referee moved quickly, organizing the players outside the 18-yard box.

Rob Townsend: [Big moment here. Jozy Altidore from the spot. Can he give AZ Alkmaar a commanding lead at Anfield?]

Jamie Carter: [Reina’s an experienced keeper—he’ll do everything to put him off. But Altidore’s confident. He’s done this before.]

The stadium held its breath. Altidore took a deep breath and then stepped forward.

*****

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A/N: You guys can now join my discord channel to get real-time access to Benjamin’s career progression, Character arts, League Table, Player stats. And as a reward, you guys will be able to vote for potential club moves for Benjamin.

Discord: .gg/x7FCyZGz6T

Also, I hope you guys are enjoying this story so far? If you are, please don’t forget to leave a comment and consider writing a review as it’ll help my book. I’d be delighted to hear your feedback.