The Greatest of all Time

Chapter 595 Coppa Italia in the Bag

The score was then 3:0 in favor of Juventus. But that didn’t stop the Juventus players from continuing their relentless attacks. They cornered Lazio over the following few minutes to create many chances that almost resulted in goals.

The main highlight was when Fernando Llorente connected with a well-taken corner kick to plant a goalward header from close to the near post during the 39th minute. However, Etrit Berisha, the on-form Lazio keeper, was alert again and managed to push the effort out of play for another corner-kick.

Stephan Lichtsteiner, the Juventus right wing-back, quickly took the resulting corner-kick and sent a curling cross towards the box.

Zachary went into action again to meet the incoming ball. He escaped the harassment of his marker before rising from the ground and producing another fine header a few meters away from the far post. But luck wasn’t on his side that time, and his effort smashed off the post before bouncing in the box.

Stefan de Vrij, one of the three Lazio center-backs, immediately cleared the just rebounded ball. He smashed it with all the power he could muster, sending it flying towards Juventus’ side of the pitch.

But before the Lazio players could relax, Patrice Evra, who had stayed back to defend, collected the ball right after it bounced in Juventus’ half. The Frenchman hammered it back into the heart of Lazio’s defense to initiate another attack on the opponents.

Arturo Vidal, the player lurking around a pocket of space outside the Lazio box, outwitted his opponent and headed the ball towards the right flank. His heading accuracy was spot-on, and he effortlessly found Stephan Lichtsteiner, who was still unmarked in the wing.

Stephan Lichtsteiner, on his part, controlled the ball well. Then, he accelerated and cut into the pitch to approach the box from the right side. He bided his time and waited until one of the defenders rushed forward to close him down before unleashing a negative pass toward the arc of the eighteen-yard box.

Claudio Marchisio, who was already waiting in the arc, reacted appropriately. He connected with the pass from Lichtsteiner and swiftly controlled the ball. Then, he took another touch to find the best angle before blasting the ball towards Lazio’s goal.

His shooting technique was spot on, and the shot managed to bend around the defenders before heading towards the inside of the far post. But just at the last moment, the gloved fingertips of the Lazio keeper grazed the ball’s surface and altered its trajectory by a slight margin. The minute change sent the effort smashing onto the post and bouncing back into the area.

The eyes of Zachary, who was lurking nearby, lit up when he saw the ball rebound towards him. Without hesitation, he lunged forward and met it with an outstretched boot. He pocked it past the keeper and into the back of the net to effortlessly score Juventus’ 4th goal for the night during the 40th minute.

—–

“There it is again,” Fabio Crudeli, the commentator, yelled as Zachary ran towards the touchline to celebrate. “Zachary has found the back of the net for the third time to complete a hattrick and score Juventus 4th goal on the night during the 40th minute. He has also pushed his Coppa Italia goal-tally to eight with that effort. He’s already the sure favorite to take home the Golden Boot, and I don’t think Miroslav Klose can still close the gap to share the honors.”

“Well, Zachary’s sharpness has been exceptional during this final,” David Ferrini, the other commentator, said. “He has been constantly moving around to search for opportunities. He has also linked up well with his teammates to allow them to dominate Lazio in the midfield. If the status quo on the field remains constant, he will go home with the Man of the Match accolade after the final.”

—–

The game continued after the goal celebrations, with Juventus continuing to dominate the proceedings by relying on their numerical advantage and superior number of phenomenal creative players.

This was team Juventus at their domineering best, controlling possession with a maestro’s grip and pulling Lazio apart as they pleased. They created two more goal-scoring opportunities before halftime, with Carlos Tevez and Fernando connecting with pin-point through-balls in the box during the 43rd and 46th minutes, respectively. However, the Lazio keeper was alert again and managed to save Lazio from further embarrassment on all occasions.

The first half eventually ended with Juventus still leading by four goals to nil. Coach Max Allegri was already smiling from ear to ear when the Juventus players returned to the dressing room for the halftime break. He smiled and gave Zachary a bear hug. “Nice play,” he said and then started patting his back.

“Thanks, coach,” Zachary replied, and all the players in the dressing room started whistling and clapping their hands. They were congratulating Zachary for scoring yet another hat trick in their own way.

“How is that leg of yours, by the way?” Coach Max Allegri asked after the others stopped applauding. “That tackle from Danilo caught you straight on the calf. It could have caused some damage.”

“I think the leg is fine,” Zachary said while swinging his foot. “I can still continue.”

Coach Max Allegri smiled but shook his head. “That’s not a good idea. You and Evra should sit out the second half. We’re already ahead by four goals. I don’t wish to risk any players who might have sustained some injuries. Okay?”

“Yes, coach,” Zachary said and nodded.

“Great.” The coach smiled. “You have already done your job, and we’re already winning. Just sit back and allow your teammates to complete the rest.”

“Okay,” Zachary said. He then nodded at the coach before settling on one of the benches to drink water.

—–

Soon afterward, Coach Allegri finished his halftime pep talk, and the players returned to the pitch. Of course, Zachary and Evra didn’t follow the rest. They instead donned their jackets and settled on the bench with the other substitutes to enjoy the rest of the game.

Roberto Pereyra took Zachary’s place, while Simone Padoin replaced Patrice Evra. The game began immediately after at a much more sedate pace, with Juventus playing steady football that lacked urgency. As for the Lazio players, they were defending tenaciously and waiting for opportunities on the counterattack.

However, the early red card had done Lazio in, and those counterattacking opportunities never came. The men in blue couldn’t extricate themselves from the precarious situation they had found themselves in. They could only defend with all their men and hold on for dear life as the game progressed.

Of course, the Juventus players were not about to show them mercy. They upped the tempo and eventually created an opportunity to score during the 78th minute.

Roberto Pereyra, the substitute, did some fine work in the middle of the field. He exchanged swift one-twos with Arturo Vidal to break through the ranks of the Lazio players before penetrating the final third. Then, he remained composed and played a forward pass to Carlos Tevez, who slotted the ball past the keeper to score the 5th goal for Juventus on the night.

The score was then 5:0, and the Juventus players started slowing the tempo down. They managed the rest of the game well and gave away nothing in the final minutes. They didn’t allow Lazio even a single opportunity to get a consolation until the game ended after five minutes of injury time.

With that, Juventus had finally won the final against Lazio with a 5:0 score, and the celebrations commenced. The Old Lady players and technical staff all started jubilating as they had added another trophy to their collection. They went around the pitch, hugging one another and occasionally thanking the fans, who were equally boisterous.

Zachary was obviously among the jubilating players. The cheers of the Juventus fans felt like the best music to him. It was as if he was drunk on happiness since he had scored a hat trick on the night and contributed considerably to his team winning the finals.

He felt like he was living the sweetest dream ever, as he had also ended the Coppa Italia as the undisputable top scorer with eight goals. He was about to win another Golden Boot from another competition, and hopefully, he would also be securing a potent elixir from the system soon.

“Now, only the UEFA Champions League remains,” Zachary thought and clenched his fists. He felt a fire burning in his heart as he enjoyed another moment of success in his football career.

Minutes passed as Zachary and his teammates celebrated. Eventually, the moment arrived when they received the trophy in front of their equally excited fans. They became crazier with their festivities and ran around the pitch for more than fifteen minutes before taking the jubilations to their dressing room. They would surely be getting very little sleep that night, especially since they had just won their third major trophy of the season.