343 The Real Prowess of Juventus

The referee blew the whistle at exactly 7:00 PM to signal the start of the game. The cheers in Lerkendal Stadion immediately hit a crescendo as Nicki Nielsen kicked off the proceedings on the pitch with a pass back into the midfield.

Takumi Minamino received Nicki's pass at the border of the defensive third before flicking the ball to Thomas Partey, Rosenborg's holding midfielder. The latter then passed it to Zachary, who immediately turned around and kicked it to Yerry Mina, the center-back ever-present in the backfield.

With those few passes, the Rosenborg players immediately set the tempo. Their football flowed like water as they exchanged short passes between the defenders and the holding midfielders within the defensive third. They even hoarded all the possession and prevented the Juventus players from touching the ball even once during the first three minutes.