The Greatest of all Time

Chapter 340 Game Progression

After the fifteen minutes of halftime, the game restarted. Juventus continued playing conservatively and defensively. They only committed players forward on a few occasions when they launched counterattacks. But when the attacks failed, they would immediately return to their half and defend Mourinho-style. Anyone watching the game could deduce their objective for the second half. They were obviously intending to stop Rosenborg from scoring another goal for the rest of the game.

However, Zachary couldn’t let them be. He wished to capitalize on Rosenborg’s numerical advantage to extend the lead during that first leg fixture. So, he started working harder than ever to free himself from his three bodyguards.

He understood that the opponents would exhaust themselves much more quickly since they had to cover more ground due to their numerical disadvantage. So, he was very patient in his approach while awaiting an opportunity. He didn’t launch any sudden attacks but only continued making daring off-ball runs to keep his markers on their toes and exhaust them.

And finally, his hard work paid off very late during the 82nd minute. He suddenly made a run away from the midfield towards the right flank when he noticed Thomas Partey with the ball. With the well-timed sprint, he escaped from his three markers and was soon in the wing, where he immediately received the ball from Thomas Partey.

”Asamoah! Hurry and close him down quickly…” Coach Conte shouted as Zachary took the first step towards Juventus’ box. His voice was full of agitation as he gave out rapid instructions to his players in Italian for the next few seconds.

However, the Juventus coach’s yelling didn’t faze Zachary one bit. He immediately drilled his boot under the ball and looped it over the incoming sliding tackle from Kwadwo Asamoah. Without allowing the opponents to shape up again, he burst through the right flank like an incarnation of Usain Bolt with the ball at his feet.

Before long, he ran into the blockade of Paul Pogba, who had surprisingly managed to catch up when he was skipping past Asamoah. But, of course, he skipped past the Frenchman with a couple of deft sidesteps before continuing towards the box. His footwork was dazzling as he made small but measured steps while keeping the ball close to his feet.

A few seconds later, he was already bearing down the box, and only a couple of defenders stood between him and the goal. When the angle opened up, he drew his leg back, intending to launch a missile of a shot at goal.

But just then, he felt a very firm and strong tug on his shirt. He immediately attempted to shrug off the person holding his shirt while continuing forward, but his foe didn’t let go no matter what. So, he could only stop in his tracks before raising his arms to attract the referee’s attention.

*FWEEEEEEE*

The referee blew his whistle right away and ran to the scene. He immediately showed a yellow card to Arturo Vidal, the player who had pulled Zachary’s shirt, before awarding Rosenborg a free-kick. And as a pleasant surprise, the free-kick position was only about twenty-five yards from the goal.

”Excellent!”

A soft smile outlined Zachary’s face when he picked up the ball and started readying himself to take the set-piece. At long last, he’d gotten the perfect opportunity to have a go at Juventus’ goal. He could hardly rein in his emotions at that moment.

****    ****

Coach Johansen’s heart was racing with anticipation as he watched Zachary preparing to take the free-kick. If his playmaker could score another goal, his job would be much easier during the second leg. He would only need to organize targeted defensive tactics to frustrate Juventus at Lerkendal the following week and win the fixture.

*FWEEEEEEE*

The referee blew the whistle, breaking him out of his reverie. He immediately pivoted his gaze towards the area right outside Juventus’ box. He noticed that the defensive wall was already in place while the Juventus keeper was on full attention between the posts. Everything was ready and only awaiting Zachary to take the set-piece.

Coach Johansen’s tension levels scaled to unknown heights as he watched Zachary make the short angled run towards the ball. The boy prodigy then drew his leg back and unleashed a curling shot towards the goal. His technique was textbook perfect as the ball soared just over the wall before dipping slightly and homing into the top right corner.

SILENCE!

Coach Johansen’s eyes widened as he stood there in the technical area, stunned as he watched his players rushing off to celebrate the goal. Wasn’t that just too easy? Zachary made the whole free-kick taking-process seem like a walk in the park. A short angled run towards the ball and boom — the ball was in the back of the net. The keeper couldn’t even react and stood motionless like a statue between the posts.

****    ****

Emily jumped up to celebrate when she watched Zachary score the free-kick to extend Rosenborg’s lead to three goals. In so doing, he’d also bagged a hattrick against a European football giant and cemented his name in the hearts and minds of football fans all around the globe.

Emily could hardly contain her excitement as Zachary’s value would obviously skyrocket by a couple of a dozen million after the game. She could even picture top club sporting directors contacting her about her client in the near future. The future was worth looking forward to, especially with a phenomenal client like Zachary.

”It’s starting again,” Ryan said, attracting her attention.

Emily returned her focus to the large screen in front of the room. She noticed that the players had already taken their positions and were ready to restart the match.

”It’s surely Zachary Bemba against Juventus,” the commentator said, his voice loud and clear through the television speakers. “In the 82nd minute, the young Rosenborg number-8 scored the third goal for Rosenborg to complete his hattrick for the night. He has also put Rosenborg in an almost unassailable position by extending their lead to three goals. Can Rosenborg maintain a clean sheet and complete a perfect giant-killing? We’ll know the answer in about eight…”

The commentator’s voice continued resounding across the room as Emily followed the remaining few minutes of the game. She was a nervous wreck as she feared that Rosenborg might concede a last-minute goal or two. Then, their upcoming second leg fixture against a well-prepared Juventus would be much more nerve-racking and laden with difficulties.

However, her anxiety soon lessened when she noticed the match turning into a boring skirmish as both teams played defensive football and short aimless passes through the middle. Gradually, the seconds turned into minutes as the game proceeded into injury time without any of the teams launching a dangerous attack on the other.

”I think Rosenborg will win this game with a clean sheet,” Ryan commented from beside Emily. “I don’t see any hope of Juventus…”

Ryan stopped mid-sentence as a big switch in the play had just transpired on the screen. Andrea Pirlo, Juventus’ deep-lying playmaker, had just unleashed a long-range lofted pass to find Pogba on the other side of the pitch.

Pogba controlled the ball perfectly before skipping past Thomas Partey, Rosenborg’s defensive midfielder, with a simple deft touch. He then quickly flicked the ball to Arturo Vidal, who was running in sync with him through the middle.

Arturo controlled the ball with ease before threading it to Mauricio Isla. The latter took one touch on the ball before returning it to Arturo Vidal.

Arturo received it again and immediately skipped past Yerry Mina. Before anyone else could close him down, he squared the ball to Pogba, who had just arrived at the edge of the box.

Emily’s mind palpitated with anxiety when she saw Pogba control the ball at the edge of the box. Without losing composure, the tall Frenchman drew his leg all the way back before smashing the ball towards the goal.

It was a tense moment. Emily reflexively shifted in her seat as she watched the ball curl past a couple of defenders, darting towards the inside of the far post like a missile. The Rosenborg keeper tried to stop its advance with a despairing dive but failed. It just flashed past his outstretched fingertips before homing into the back of the net.

”GOOAAAAL,” the voice of the commentator rose up a notch. “Fast, simple, and effective — that’s Juventus at their best for you. With a quick switch and a couple of passes, they broke through Rosenborg’s defense and scored their first goal. The score is now Juventus 1 and Rosenborg 3, with less than two minutes remaining to the final whistle.”

Emily could only sigh with helplessness as she watched Pogba pick the ball from the back of the net and place it in the center spot. She’d hoped that Rosenborg could maintain a three-goal advantage until the end of the match. However, they had still conceded a goal during injury time. She wasn’t sure whether a two-goal cushion would be enough for Rosenborg to overcome a well-prepared Juventus during the second leg.