Against All Odds: Legacy Of A Football King-Chapter 285: Post To The Rescue!

Rob: [It’s an offside call. But is it the right one?]

Replays flashed on the big screen. The stadium held its breath. Berghuis’s cross, Altidore’s leap—

Chris: [Oh, this is close...]

The freeze-frame appeared. Altidore’s foot—just half a step beyond the last defender.

Rob: [That’s razor-thin, but by the letter of the law... he’s offside.]

A groan echoed across the stadium.

Chris: [It won’t stand! The goal is ruled out for offside!]

Altidore threw his arms in the air, shaking his head in disbelief. Gertjan Verbeek slammed his hand against his thigh in frustration.

Rob: [Look at the AZ Alkmaar players. They’re furious. They feel hard done by here.]

Chris: [You have to feel for them. They’ve worked so hard for that moment, only for it to be taken away.]

Den Haag players exhaled, some with hands on their knees. A second life.

Rob: [And now, Den Haag get another reprieve. Can they survive these final minutes?]

The restart was sluggish. Den Haag took their time. Another long clearance, another attempt to kill the clock.

Chris: [AZ Alkmaar have to go again. They’ve got time, but only just. Can they find one last breakthrough?]

The frustration was boiling now. The fans groaned with every wasted second. AZ Alkmaar players waved their arms, urging the referee to hurry things up, but Den Haag were in no rush.

Coutinho finally took the goal kick, sending it deep into AZ Alkmaar’s half. Marcellis climbed highest, heading it back toward midfield.

Adam Maher reacted first, bringing it down with a sharp touch before spinning away from his marker.

Chris: [Adam Maher again. He’s been everywhere tonight, hasn’t he?]

Rob: [He’s got that look in his eye. He wants to be the difference.]

Maher surged forward, skipping past one challenge, then another. Space opened up. He glanced up, spotting Berghuis peeling away on the right. A perfectly weighted pass sent him racing down the wing.

The crowd rose in anticipation.

Chris: [Here comes Berghuis!]

The winger didn’t hesitate. A quick shift of his body sent the defender off balance before he whipped in a dangerous cross.

Jóhannsson charged in—

But so did Coutinho.

A crunching collision. Bodies hit the ground. The ball spilled loose inside the box!

Rob: [It’s bouncing around! Who’s there?!]

Chaos. Den Haag defenders scrambled, hacking at the ball. Altidore lunged, trying to force it over the line—

Blocked!

Chris: [How has that not gone in?!]

The ball spun free toward Maher, who reacted first, smashing a shot through the crowded box—

Deflected! Out for a corner!

More groans. Hands on heads. The frustration was suffocating.

Chris: [It’s relentless pressure from AZ Alkmaar. They’re throwing everything at this Den Haag defense!]

Rob: [And yet, Den Haag just won’t break.]

Berghuis ran over to take the corner, placing the ball down carefully. He lifted his hand, signaling the run.

The delivery curled into the six-yard box—

Viergever climbed—

Header!

Chris: [Viergever—]

Cleared off the line!

Rob: [Off the line again! You’ve got to be kidding me!]

The stadium erupted in disbelief. Another golden chance, another desperate clearance.

Den Haag were barely holding on now. Their clearances weren’t even reaching midfield. The pressure was relentless.

Chris: [AZ Alkmaar are camping in their half. They’ve got to make this count soon.]

Martens picked up the rebound, feinted one way, then the other, before chipping a cross toward the far post.

Altidore was there again, rising above his marker—

Thumping header—

Just over the bar!

Rob: [He had to hit the target! That was the moment!]

Altidore grabbed his head, disbelief written all over his face. He knew it. They all knew it.

Chris: [They’re getting closer. But will they run out of time?] freeweɓnøvel~com

The clock ticked into the 89th minute. One, maybe two chances left.

Den Haag won a rare throw-in near the halfway line. More time wasted. More whistles from the crowd. The referee signaled for them to hurry.

Rob: [I wouldn’t be surprised if we see a lot of stoppage time here. Den Haag have been eating away at the clock all night.]

Finally, the ball was back in play. But within seconds, AZ Alkmaar had it again.

Maher, once more at the heart of everything, collected the ball and drove forward. He spotted Berghuis making a run and slipped a pass into space.

Berghuis cut inside—left-footed curler—

Parried by Coutinho!

The rebound fell to Jóhannsson—

Chris: [Jóhannsson!]

Blocked again!

Rob: [This is ridiculous! How is it still 1-1?!]

Den Haag hoofed the ball clear. But it came right back.

The clearance finally found a target. Holla controlled it near midfield, took a breath, and spotted a run.

A rare chance to counter.

Chris: [Wait a minute—Den Haag are breaking here!]

Kramer sprinted into space, calling for the ball. Holla didn’t hesitate, threading a pass through the heart of AZ Alkmaar’s stretched defense.

Rob: [It’s opened up for them!]

Kramer latched onto it, one touch to steady himself, then another to push it forward. Viergever chased, but he was a step behind.

The stadium held its breath.

Chris: [Kramer—one-on-one with the keeper!]

Esteban rushed out, arms wide, bracing for the shot—

Kramer struck low—

It beat Esteban Alvarado—

CLANG!

The ball smacked the inside of the left post—

Bounced across the goal line—

Smashed the right post—

And rolled away!

Rob: [OFF BOTH POSTS! YOU CANNOT COME CLOSER THAN THAT!]

Gasps. Screams. Disbelief.

Chris: [That was it! That was the moment for Den Haag!]

Kramer clutched his head, staring at the ball trickling away as if it had betrayed him. Holla fell to his knees.

The Den Haag bench had already jumped up to celebrate—only to collapse back onto their seats in shock.

Rob: [It looked in! It had to be in!]

The AZ Alkmaar defense scrambled, Martens getting there first to clear before a lurking Van Duinen could pounce.

The crowd was still buzzing, replaying it in their heads.

Chris: [Den Haag were inches—millimeters—away from stealing this at the death!]

Rob: [And now it’s AZ Alkmaar coming forward again. This game is madness!]

There was no time to dwell. AZ Alkmaar had survived, and they were already surging forward.