Against All Odds: Legacy Of A Football King
Chapter 294: Intense Opening Minutes

Chapter 294: Intense Opening Minutes

[Berghuis! Oh, just wide! That was close!]

The ball zipped past the post, and Berghuis lay on the turf, head in hands. Reina clapped his hands and urged his teammates to stay focused.

[Liverpool survive an early scare there, Peter. AZ Alkmaar looking confident in these opening minutes!]

[They are, John, and that’s exactly what they needed. Show intent, get the crowd involved, and make Liverpool uncomfortable. That was a big chance!]

Reina took the goal kick short to Agger, who immediately played it out to José Enrique.

Liverpool started moving the ball with more urgency now, shifting it quickly through midfield. Gerrard, ever the orchestrator, pointed where he wanted movement.

[And now here come Liverpool, Gerrard dictating things in midfield. You can see him scanning the field before he even receives the ball. That’s the experience he brings]

The ball came to Sterling, who turned sharply and drove forward. Downing made a darting run down the left, and Sterling picked him out with a perfectly weighted pass.

[Good ball by Sterling! Downing has space!]

Downing controlled it in stride, lifted his head, and whipped in an early cross. Suárez read it instantly, ghosting between defenders. He lunged forward, meeting it with the outside of his boot.

[Suárez! Oh, what a save!]

The stadium collectively gasped as Alvarado threw himself to his left, getting a strong palm to the ball and pushing it away.

The rebound fell to Henderson, who struck it first time—blocked! The ball ricocheted out to Lucas, who teed up Gerrard.

[Gerrard from distance!]

The Liverpool captain unleashed a venomous shot from 25 yards. It arrowed toward goal, but at the last moment, it took a deflection off Viergever and spun just over the bar.

[So close! That could have been the opener! Liverpool are starting to turn the screw here]

The resulting corner saw Gerrard deliver a looping cross toward Agger. The defender climbed highest, powering a header down toward goal. Alvarado reacted again, diving low to smother it.

[Alvarado is keeping AZ Alkmaar in this! That’s two big saves in quick succession]

The tempo remained relentless, both sides attacking with intent. AZ Alkmaar continued to probe, but Liverpool’s experience showed as they calmly absorbed pressure before launching quick counterattacks.

Suárez, always lurking, was a constant menace, dropping deep to collect the ball and dragging defenders out of position.

[Peter, we’ve had a frantic opening seven minutes. What’s your take so far?]

[Brilliant start, John. AZ Alkmaar are showing no fear, but Liverpool look deadly when they go forward. The next goal, whenever it comes, could set the tone for the rest of the game. This has been a proper European contest so far!]

The camera panned to both managers on the touchline—Gertjan Verbeek gesturing animatedly, urging his players to keep pushing forward, while Brendan Rodgers stood with a composed expression, hands in pockets, studying the game with an analytical eye.

[And with this pace, you feel like something is going to happen soon, John. A goal feels inevitable]

[Couldn’t agree more, Peter. And with Suárez on the pitch, you just know there’s always a moment of magic around the corner. Stay with us, folks. This one is heating up!]

The game resumed with a quick goal kick from Alvarado, who sent the ball deep into Liverpool’s half.

AZ Alkmaar’s front line pressed high, forcing Carragher and Agger to work quickly under pressure.

[AZ Alkmaar aren’t letting Liverpool settle, Peter. They’re pressing with real intensity!]

[Exactly, John. They know if they sit back, Liverpool will dictate the game. This is clever from Gertjan Verbeek’s side—win the ball high up the pitch, and they could catch Liverpool off guard on the counter]

Reijnen stepped up to intercept Henderson’s pass, immediately feeding Martens in midfield. The AZ Alkmaar captain turned sharply and sprayed a diagonal ball out to Benjamin Rijkaard on the left.

[And here’s Benjamin Rijkaard! He’s been lively in these opening seven minutes. He’ll fancy his chances one-on-one against his marker, Glen Johnson]

Benjamin squared up to Johnson, he feinted left, then burst inside onto his right foot. He spotted Altidore making a run for the 18 yard box between Carragher and Agger and whipped in a curling cross.

[Dangerous ball in! Altidore’s there!]

The big American striker muscled past Agger and rose to meet it, powering a header toward goal. Reina scrambled across—

The Liverpool goalkeeper reacted brilliantly, stretching to his right and parrying the ball away with a strong hand.

[What a save by Reina!]

The rebound fell to Berghuis, who struck it first-time—

[Blocked by Agger! Liverpool survive again!]

Carragher roared at his teammates, urging them to stay focused. Reina took a deep breath before rolling the ball out quickly to Lucas, who immediately turned and drove forward.

[Liverpool are looking to hit back straight away. Here’s Lucas, finding Gerrard in space]

Gerrard looked up and pinged a trademark diagonal pass toward Sterling, who had drifted wide. The young winger controlled it with a delicate first touch, then accelerated past Gorter.

[Look at that pace! Sterling is flying down the right!]

Sterling reached the byline and cut the ball back toward Suárez, who had peeled away from his marker. Suárez dummied, letting the ball run through to Downing at the far post—

[Downing! Can he finish?]

Downing struck it cleanly, but the shot lacked power. Alvarado dropped low and gathered comfortably, much to the relief of the home crowd.

[That was a chance, John. A big one. Liverpool are carving openings, but AZ Alkmaar’s keeper has been outstanding so far.]

[And you have to wonder, Peter—can Alvarado keep this up for 90 minutes? Because Liverpool will keep coming tirelessly]

The game remained finely poised with both teams attacking at pace. AZ Alkmaar refused to be intimidated and kept moving the ball swiftly through midfield whenever they had possession.

Henriksen played a clever one-two with Martens and found space 30 yards from goal. He spotted Reina slightly off his line and decided to take a chance—

[Henriksen goes for the long range!]