The Greatest of all Time

Chapter 598 Final Serie A Home Game of the Season

Zachary began undergoing treatment after discussing his rehabilitation plan with the doctor. The medics at J|Medical were quite attentive to him, and they immediately started helping him through the recovery process that would last an estimated twelve days.

As he yearned to return to full fitness within the stipulated time, he followed the doctor’s instructions and focused only on his recovery. He missed his yoga routine and didn’t head to the training ground the following morning. He instead returned to J|Medical and continued with his rehabilitation.

In the meantime, his teammates had commenced preparations for Juventus’ next home Serie A game against Napoli. Under the supervision of the hyper Coach Max Allegri, they went through two drilling sessions on Friday during the morning and afternoon hours. Then, when Saturday arrived, they headed to the Juventus Stadium in the evening, one to welcome Napoli for their second last battle for that Serie A season, and two, to finally receive their Serie A trophy after the match.

For the game against Napoli, Coach Allegri once again rested most of his players who had played the Coppa Italia final during midweek. He played a defense of four second-string players, including Kwadwo Asamoah, Angelo Ogbonna, Andrea Barzagli, and Simone Padoin. He then fielded a midfield with Arturo Vidal, Claudio Marchisio, Stefano Sturaro, and Roberto Pereyra. And lastly, he fielded a striking line of álvaro Morata and Kingsley Coman to complete his 4-3-1-2 formation.

The fans couldn’t hide their worries, as it seemed like Juventus was giving up the match when the line-ups came out. Even the commentators lamented how all the big names, like Leonardo Bonucci, Giorgio Chiellini, Patrice Evra, Carlos Tevez, Fernando Llorente, and the two injured players – Andrea Pirlo and Zachary Bemba, were missing. They even predicted Juventus would lose to Napoli, which had brought out all the big guns like Gonzalo Higuaín, Dries Mertens, and Lorenzo Insigne, among other first-team players.

Fortunately, the before-the-game parading of the Coppa Italia trophy by the Juventus players seemed to wash away all the worries about the squad. Everything proceeded smoothly, and by the time the match kicked off at six in the evening, a festive atmosphere had long eclipsed the entire Juventus Stadium.

Since it was the day of the Serie A trophy presentation, Zachary, who could only walk with the help of crutches, had also headed to the Juventus Stadium with the team. He sat on the bench during the game and watched his teammates play brilliantly against the opponents.

He smiled when he saw the Juventus players swiftly settle into a steady playing cadence, incorporating slow exchanges of passes at the back followed by lightning-fast transitions in the midfield. They dominated possession and sustained pressure against the opponent until a rare goal-scoring opportunity arose during the 13th minute.

The opportunity all began with a daring run through the right wing by Kingsley Coman. The Frenchman beat Faouzi Ghoulam, the Napoli left-back, before cutting into the pitch and squaring the ball to Roberto Pereyra, who had floated into an unmarked pocket of space before the box.

Roberto Pereyra showed why he was a brilliant attacking midfielder. He controlled the ball well and immediately fed it between the legs of Miguel Britos, the Napoli center-back. He stepped past the already-defeated defender with swift acceleration before pulling the trigger and blasting the ball past the keeper to score Juventus’ 1st goal during the 13th minute.

The score was then 1:0 in favor of Juventus, and the game resumed after the goal celebrations. The Napoli players seemed to have gotten the perfect wake-up call after conceding the goal. They swiftly settled down and started playing clever football, highlighted by their spirited runs through the wings followed by crosses into the box. They attacked and attacked, hoping to score an equalizer as soon as possible.

However, the Juventus players played as usual on the defensive end. They remained organized and composed at the back while defending tenaciously to protect their goal. They calmly thwarted Napoli’s attacks several times and maintained their 1:0 lead until the first half ended.

After the fifteen-minute break, the second half started with the Napoli players continuing from where they had left off. They repeatedly unleashed long balls and crosses into the box, hoping to find Gonzalo Higuaín, their center forward. They increased the tempo and launched attacks on Juventus’ defense, wishing to create an opportunity to score the equalizing goal.

Their efforts bore fruit during the 50th minute when Kwadwo Asamoah, Juventus’ left-back for the day, brought down José Callejón, the Napoli right winger, who had just penetrated the box. The foul was clear to everyone watching, and the referee showed Asamoah the yellow card before awarding a penalty to Napoli.

Gonzalo Higuaín stepped forward and took the penalty. But Gianluigi Buffon read him like an open book and dived the right way to save the effort. Unfortunately for Juventus, Buffon only managed to push the ball back into the box and allowed David López, the Napoli midfielder, to convert on the rebound. The Napoli man remained composed and slotted the ball past Buffon to score Napoli’s 1st goal on the evening.

The score was 1:1, and the proceedings returned to square one. The Napoli players gained more momentum from the goal they had just scored and continued attacking. They worked harder than ever to create opportunities while remaining on guard against Juventus’ counterattacks. However, a rare mistake nulled all their hard work when Walter Gargano, one of their defensive midfielders, took too many touches deep within his half and allowed Claudio Marchisio to rob him of possession during the 77th minute.

Arturo Vidal, the Juventus midfielder lurking nearby, didn’t waste time before pouncing on the ball. He fed it forward to álvaro Morata, who, in turn, played brilliantly and squared it to find Stefano Sturaro, one of Juventus’ midfielders for the day.

The latter also remained composed and pulled the trigger from a tight angle. He expertly chipped the ball over the keeper and into the back of the net to score Juventus’ 2nd goal on the evening during the 77th minute.

The score was then 2:1 in favor of Juventus, with only thirteen minutes of authorized playing time remaining. However, the Napoli players didn’t lose heart and continued attacking. They played exceptionally well and came close to scoring several times. But then again, they always lacked that final finishing touch and repeatedly failed to put the ball into the back of the net.

The ninety minutes eventually elapsed, and injury time arrived while team Napoli was still going all out to find the equalizer. It was then another twist in the game happened.

The Juventus players won a rare corner kick after failing to convert a counterattack. Stefano Sturaro took the corner kick and sent a curling cross into the area. However, Lorenzo Insigne, the Napoli winger who had fallen back to defend, handled the ball within the box while trying to clear it away.

It was the perfect end that Juventus had been looking for, and Simone Pepe, the substitute, stepped forward to convert the penalty. He effortlessly sent the keeper the wrong way and found the back of the net to score Juventus’ 3rd goal on the night.

The score was then 3:1 in favor of Juventus, and the game resumed after the celebrations. The Juventus players resorted to what they do best and managed the game well in the final two minutes of injury time. They held on tenaciously and maintained their 3:1 lead until the referee blew the whistle to end the game.

With that, the Juventus players had won yet another game and pushed their Serie A season tally to 105 points. They had also broken the 102 maximum points a season record set by themselves the previous season.

But all that didn’t matter since their game against Napoli was their final home game for that Serie A season. They didn’t care about anything else as it was finally the day they would receive their rightful Serie A trophy. They couldn’t contain their delight and started celebrating before their fans, who responded with their own thunderous cheers.

Zachary was still under strict orders from the doctor not to strain his leg unnecessarily. He moved with the help of crutches and joined his excited teammates on the pitch. He didn’t do anything excessive but only walked around slowly while waving to the fans and sometimes bumping fists with his teammates.

Some, like Patrice Evra and Giorgio Chiellini, tried to approach and lift him. But he quickly waved them away with the excuse of not wishing to worsen his injury with uncontrolled movements.

Eventually, he felt tired of walking with the crutches and stopped somewhere in the middle of the pitch. It was then that a few reporters stealthily tried to approach him. But the medics and assistant coaches, who were nearby, quickly chased them away.

Zachary was inwardly grateful to the men who were keeping watch for him. He smiled and stayed in one place as his ears continued picking up the cheers from the stands. His heart soon started pounding with boundless excitement as he awaited another defining moment of his career when he would receive his first Serie A trophy and golden boot.