Against All Odds: Legacy Of A Football King
Chapter 263: A Disastrous Ending

Chapter 263: A Disastrous Ending

—he turned! He shot!

Jamie Carter: [STURRIDGE—!]

Blocked! Reijnen threw himself in the way, the ball deflecting off his shin and looping into the air.

Rob Townsend: [What a block! That had to be perfect!]

Alvarado reacted quickly, leaping to punch it clear before Suárez could pounce. The ball fell to Beerens on the edge of the 18 yard box—no time to think. He hooked his foot through it, launching it downfield.

Jamie Carter: [One last push from AZ Alkmaar! They have to go now!]

Guðmundsson sprinted after it, chasing the bounce. Enrique closed in, bodying him toward the touchline—

Guðmundsson dug out a cross—low, driven—

It skidded through the six-yard box, untouched!

Rob Townsend: [That was begging for a touch!]

Altidore lunged at the far post—just a step too late!

The ball rolled out harmlessly for a goal kick.

Jamie Carter: [And that might be the moment, Rob! AZ Alkmaar had their chance!]

Reina jogged over. Slowly. He placed the ball down, taking a deep breath before motioning his teammates forward.

91 minutes.

He launched it long. Sturridge again battled Reijnen in the air. The defender won the header, but this time, it fell straight to Gerrard.

No hesitation. Gerrard trapped it, rolled it wide to Johnson.

Jamie Carter: [Liverpool keeping it in the corner now.]

Johnson drove forward, reaching the flag before turning back, shielding the ball from Viergever.

Viergever lunged. A clumsy challenge—

Fweeeee!

Jamie Carter: [And that’s a free kick! That’s smart from Liverpool! More time off the clock!]

Rob Townsend: [Exactly, Jamie. AZ Alkmaar are running out of seconds.]

Gerrard stepped over the ball, adjusting his captain’s armband. No rush. No urgency.

Gerrard finally played it short, tapping it to Suárez near the corner flag. Suárez turned his back to goal, rolling his foot over the ball as Viergever closed in.

Jamie Carter: [Liverpool are doing this perfectly, keeping the ball, running down the clock.]

But this time, Viergever didn’t dive in. He waited. He held his ground.

Suárez tried to wriggle free—Viergever stuck out a toe—poked it away!

Rob Townsend: [And now AZ Alkmaar can break!]

Viergever sprinted forward, looking up, searching. He spotted Guðmundsson making a run down the right and launched a diagonal ball over the top.

Guðmundsson stretched, controlled it on his chest, and burst forward.

Jamie Carter: [It’s now or never! Can AZ Alkmaar find something?!]

The Liverpool backline scrambled. Agger and Skrtel retreated, trying to close the gaps.

Guðmundsson darted toward the edge of the 18 yard box—swung in a deep cross—

Altidore rose and nodded it back across goal—

Elm arrived!

He threw himself at it, bundling the ball over the line!

GOOOAAAAALLLL!!!~

AZ ALKMAAR SCORE!

The away section erupted. Their players rushed to the corner, piling on top of Elm as he pumped his fists.

Jamie Carter: [Oh my word! Have they done it?! Have AZ Alkmaar rescued this?!]

But then—the linesman raised his flag.

The celebrations froze.

Rob Townsend: [Wait... wait... the flag’s up!]

Confusion, and anger mirrored every AZ Alkmaar supporter.

Benjamin stood on the sideline with his arms outstretched, shouting at the referee. The AZ Alkmaar bench exploded in protest.

Jamie Carter: [It’s offside! Oh, and look at the reaction from the AZ Alkmaar players! They’re furious!]

Elm turned to the assistant referee, his face twisted in disbelief. He pointed at himself, at Altidore—desperate, pleading.

The Liverpool fans, silent for a brief moment, now roared in relief.

Rob Townsend: [Oh, that is so tight!]

A replay flashed on the screen. Altidore, just half a step ahead of the last defender when Guðmundsson’s cross came in.

Jamie Carter: [It’s close... but he’s off.]

Benjamin clenched his jaw, hands on his head. He knew how this worked. He knew the flag wasn’t coming down. But still—so close.

Gertjan Verbeek was livid. He marched to the fourth official, jabbing a finger, his voice rising over the noise of Anfield.

Jamie Carter: [You can understand the frustration, Rob. They thought they had their moment.]

Rob Townsend: [But the flag went up straight away. There’s no changing it now.]

Meanwhile, Reina had the ball again. He placed it down. Slowly.

94th minute.

Reina launched it long once more. Sturridge fought for it, but Reijnen won the header again, knocking it forward—straight to Gerrard.

Jamie Carter: [AZ Alkmaar look spent, Rob. That disallowed goal has drained them.]

And it showed. Their pressing had lost its bite. Their reactions were half a second slower.

Gerrard rolled the ball to Henderson, who spread it wide for Johnson. The right-back took a touch and surged forward, barely challenged.

Rob Townsend: [Liverpool are still pushing! They want to end this with a goal.]

Johnson spotted Suárez making a darting run into the 18 yard box and threaded a pass through. Suárez let it run across his body, turning sharply—

Elm lunged in too late.

Suárez tumbled.

Fweeeee!

Jamie Carter: [Penalty! The referee points to the spot!]

No protests, no outrage. Just tired, resigned looks from the AZ Alkmaar players.

Rob Townsend: [That says it all, Jamie. They’re mentally done. They’re not even arguing.]

Elm ran his hands through his hair, staring at the ground. The others barely reacted, some with hands on their hips, others bending over, exhausted.

Benjamin sat down, shaking his head. He didn’t even bother yelling.

Jamie Carter: [And now Luis Suárez, already with one penalty tonight, has the chance to seal this.]

Suárez picked up the ball and walked to the spot. He placed it down, took a deep breath, then stepped back.

Alvarado stood on the line, hands on his knees. His eyes locked on Suárez, but even he looked drained.

Rob Townsend: [Does Alvarado have one last save in him?]

The Kop behind the goal was already celebrating. They knew.

Jamie Carter: [Suárez steps up—]

He strikes it low—bottom corner!

GOOOOAAAAAALLL!!!

Anfield erupted. Suárez wheeled away, pumping his fists as his teammates rushed toward him.

Jamie Carter: [And that is that! Luis Suárez buries it, and Liverpool have won this match!]

Alvarado barely moved. He watched the ball ripple the net, then exhaled, hands on his hips. Around him, the AZ Alkmaar players stood still, staring at the ground.

Rob Townsend: [You have to feel for them, Jamie. They gave everything, but that disallowed goal broke them.]

Suárez slid on his knees toward the corner flag, arms outstretched. The Kop roared his name. Gerrard clapped as he jogged over, ruffling Suárez’s hair before hugging him.

Jamie Carter: [Liverpool had to fight for it, but in the end, their quality showed.]

The referee glanced at his watch.

Fweeee!~ Fweeeee!~ Fweeeeeee!~

Rob Townsend: [Liverpool 4, AZ Alkmaar 2. A thrilling night at Anfield!]