The Greatest of all Time #Chapter 537 Back-To-Back Games Against Hellas Verona - Read The Greatest of all Time Chapter 537 Back-To-Back Games Against Hellas Verona Online - All Page - Novel Usb

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Juventus' Coppa Italia home game against Hellas Verona kicked off at 9:00 PM the following evening. And as expected, it was another night full of excitement for the Juventus supporters who watched the game.

Zachary and his teammates were in total control right from the start. They overwhelmed the struggling Hellas Verona side with their highly-tactical approach featuring slow build-ups using varied passing techniques plus lightning-fast wing-play to unleash sudden crosses into the box. They caught the Hellas Verona defenders napping numerous times before eventually scoring three goals during the final fifteen minutes of the first half.

Roberto Pereyra, one of the Juventus midfielders, scored the first goal during the 31st minute after getting at the end of a pin-point cross from Stephan Lichtsteiner. Then, six minutes later, during the 37th minute, Zachary performed his magic again and put the second past the Hellas Verona keeper by successfully converting a free-kick from twenty-nine yards away from goal.

Finally, the finishing touch for Juventus' incredible first-half performance was completed by Arturo Vidal. The midfielder moved like the wind and connected with a square ball outside the opponent's box. He then unleashed a grounded shot past the keeper and extended Juventus' lead to three goals right before the half-time break.

During the half-time break, Coach Max Allegri made a couple of surprising but thoughtful substitutions. He took off Zachary Bemba and Arturo Vidal, the high-performing midfielders, before replacing them with Sebastian Giovinco, a left-winger, and Andrea Pirlo, the Maestro who happened to have just recovered from injury. The coach was obviously not trying to malice the players but to rest them in preparation for the busy schedule that was about to come. He couldn't risk them during the rest of the game, especially since his team was already leading by three goals against Hellas Verona.

The second half commenced after the substitutes stepped onto the pitch, and without any surprise, Juventus continued dictating the tempo. Andrea Pirlo was especially impressive, and he effortlessly took control of the midfield by relying on his spectacular tactical awareness. His defense-splitting passes were always spot-on, and by constantly unleashing them, he allowed Juventus to launch a series of increasingly terrifying waves of attack upon Hellas Verona.

Andrea Pirlo eventually created the first opportunity after intercepting a loose pass between two Hellas Verona midfielders during the 64th minute. He drove the ball forward into the opponent's half and unleashed a sudden and deadly long ball over the midfield. He effortlessly set up Álvaro Morata, who made the perfect connection with the pass and scored Juventus' 4th goal for the night.

But that wasn't the end of Andrea Pirlo's magic on the field of play. During the 72nd minute, he came alive again and converted a free kick. His technique was flawless, and he easily beat the keeper from twenty-four yards away to score Juventus' 5th goal for the night.

The rest of the game was pretty much uneventful. Juventus continued launching more attacks against Hellas Verona, hoping to score a sixth goal for the day. However, even while five goals down, the opponents remained solid and thwarted all Juventus attempts before they could do any damage.

Finally, after three minutes of added time, the game ended with Juventus still leading by a score of 5:0. They had destroyed yet another opponent and continued their record 100% winning streak in all competitions. They had beaten Hellas Verona and thus qualified for that year's Coppa Italia quarter-finals.

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With the momentum on their side, the confidence of the Juventus players was overflowing. They only rested for a day before resuming their training. They were obviously intent on preparing for their next Serie A home game, which happened to be against Hellas Verona, the same team they had just defeated in the Coppa Italia Round of Sixteen.

--

Sunday, January 18th, 2015

Three days after the Coppa Italia match between Juventus and Hellas Verona…

Team Juventus once again welcomed Hellas Verona to their home ground in Turin. It was Juventus' 19th Serie A game for the season. The coaches and players were eager to rack up another win that could push them closer to another Serie A title.

But despite Coach Max Allegri's desire to win, he still decided to rest several first-team players, including Zachary Bemba, Arturo Vidal, Stephan Lichtsteiner, Carlos Tevez, and Fernando Llorente. He left them on the bench and fielded another relatively strong Juventus squad featuring players like Andrea Pirlo, Álvaro Morata, Kingsley Coman, and Roberto Pereyra. He also fielded Marco Storari, the second-string keeper, after choosing to rest the experienced shot-stopper - Gianluigi Buffon.

With such highly technical players on the line-up, the game started 'on a positive note' for Juventus. The Old Lady players didn't waste time after hearing the kick-off whistle. They flew toward the other half like a swarm of locusts and launched a terrifying wave of attack against Hellas Verona during the second minute of gameplay. Their teamwork and exchange of passes through the middle were especially impressive, and they effortlessly arrived in the spaces before the opponent's box.

"Pa..."

The ball naturally found its way to Roberto Pereyra, who effortlessly controlled it. The attacking midfielder then launched a powerful drive toward the inside of the far post, hoping to score Juventus' first goal for the night. But alas, the brilliance of the keeper denied his effort, and he could only put his hands behind his head while sighing with dejection.

Fortunately, the chance was not over for Juventus. The referee had already blown the whistle and pointed to the corner spot, meaning that Juventus had another opportunity to test Hellas Verona through a set-piece. As such, most Juventus players gathered in the box, hoping to make the perfect connection and guide the corner ball into the back of the net.I think you should take a look at

FWEEEEEEE*

The referee's whistle sounded, and Patrice Evra took the corner kick. The Frenchman didn't send a curling cross toward the crowded area but instead unleashed an unexpected cut-back pass into the space before the box.

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At that moment, the unmarked Andrea Pirlo set off like a whirlwind and connected with the incoming ball just a few yards away from the box. He timed his move perfectly and unleashed a first-time shot that bounded towards Hellas Verona's goal like a bullet.

"Whoosh..."

The ball cut through the crowd of players within the box as it flew toward the inside of the far post. But just at the last minute, a hand appeared in its way and halted its motion. The ball couldn't continue along its intended trajectory but deviated out of play.

"Penalty, penalty..."

A loud call for a penalty reverberated inside the stadium as the Juventus players and fans alike called out to the referee to make a decision.

The referee, on his part, didn't need reminders from the players and fans. He had been in the perfect position to spot Guillermo Rodríguez blocking the ball with his hand. Moreover, the Hellas Verona defender had denied a clear goal-scoring chance, meaning his fate in that game was final. So, without fear or favor, the referee fished a red card out of his shirt pocket and immediately showed it to the player. But he didn't just stop at that. He also pointed to the penalty spot and awarded Juventus a spot kick just after three minutes of gameplay.

--

Zachary followed the proceedings from his seat on the bench. He watched expressionlessly as Guillermo Rodríguez walked off the pitch after receiving the red card. He didn't feel sympathy for a player who had committed a foul that denied his team a chance to score. That was especially after recalling the incident when Luis Suarez handled the ball and denied Ghana an opportunity to qualify for the World Cup semifinals.

Minutes passed, and Zachary later witnessed how Álvaro Morata stepped forward and converted the penalty to put Juventus in the lead during the 4th minute of gameplay. Zachary then relaxed and continued observing from the bench as his teammates decimated the opponents by relying on their numerical advantage.

The Juventus players seemed to be in the zone. They dictated the tempo throughout the rest of the game and effortlessly put three more goals past the Hellas Verona keeper before the final whistle sounded.

Roberto Pereyra tapped Patrice Evra's cross into the back of the net to score Juventus' second goal during the 14th minute. Then, Sebastian Giovinco headed home a corner during the 23rd minute to bag the third before Kingsley Coman completed the thrashing with a stunning outside-of-the-box shot later on during the 76th minute. The score was then 4:0 in favor of Juventus, and the status quo didn't change until the final whistle sounded.

Zachary watched the entire game from the bench. Immediately after the final whistle sounded, he got up and congratulated his teammates on their overwhelming win before following them down the tunnel to the dressing room.

As he entered the dressing room, he felt a bit empty after not getting a chance to step on the pitch. Moreover, he couldn't stop his thoughts from turning quite complicated as he recalled how his teammates had performed impressively during the game.

Watching from the bench had allowed him to comprehend how Juventus had so many able players on their squad. However, all those players rarely got any playing time, not because they were not innately skilled, but mainly due to their lack of consistency across a long span of competitive games.

For instance, Álvaro Morata was a superb forward who could remain composed and score breathtaking goals on those days when he was at his best. But due to his lack of consistency, Coach Allegri often left him out of the squad and went with Fernando Llorente, the other more consistent striker.

The situation was the perfect example of how football could be merciless to those who couldn't remain consistent. Comprehending all that while seated on the bench allowed Zachary to grow as a player and become more motivated. He had to continue working hard and maintain his form so that he would never face the unfortunate situation of becoming a spare tire on any team, no matter how powerful it was, during his career.

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The Juventus players headed into their next Serie A fixture with boundless confidence. They played the home game against Chievo Verona on Sunday, January 25th, 2015, and won by another overwhelming margin.

Zachary, who had just returned to the squad, was especially impressive during that game. Firstly, he provided two assists, one to Carlos Tevez and another to Kingsley Coman, who took their chances well and scored Juventus' 1st and 2nd goals during the 14th and 23rd minutes, respectively. Then, much later, during the 73rd minute, Zachary got to the end of a corner ball and headed home to score Juventus' 3rd goal for the night.

Chievo Verona got one consolation goal back during the 78th minute after exploiting a passing error by Angelo Ogbonna, the Juventus center-back. But their relief didn't last long as Juventus reacted strongly and quickly through Andrea Pirlo, who came on as a substitute for Zachary.

The Maestro performed his magic during the 81st minute by unleashing a sudden long ball to find Patrice Evra on the left flank. Patrice Evra, on his part, controlled the ball well before driving forward into Chievo Verona's half. The Frenchman effortlessly stepped into the final third before sending a long cross toward the box where Fernando Llorente was already lurking.

Fernando Llorente acted like a true-blue bona fide center-forward and connected with the ball. He escaped the harassment of the opposing center-back with his first touch before drawing his leg back and unleashing a sudden snap-shot towards the inside of the far post. His powerful drive rendered the keeper helpless, and he smoothly found the back of the net to score Juventus 4th and final goal on the night.

With that, Juventus ultimately won the Serie A game with another staggering score of 4:1. As such, the fighting spirit of the players was already soaring into the skies, and they were even more motivated to prepare for their next fixture, which happened to be an away Coppa Italia quarter-finals game against Parma.

After a day of rest, the Old Lady players utilized the whole of Tuesday to refine the game plan while also working on their match fitness. Then, when Wednesday afternoon arrived, they boarded the team bus and traveled to the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna to face off against Parma in the Coppa Italia semi-finals.

Parma was a team struggling close to the bottom of the Serie A table. They had lost most of their matches and were a team that Juventus could comfortably dispatch and qualify for the Coppa Italia semi-finals. So, with all that in mind, Coach Max Allegri opted to rest most of his crucial players.n0𝑣𝓔𝐿𝐔𝑆𝕓.𝗰0𝐦

The Juventus coach benched Zachary Bemba, Andrea Pirlo, Arturo Vidal, Patrice Evra, Carlos Tevez, and Gianluigi Buffon, among others. He then fielded another team that included players like Angelo Ogbonna, Simone Padoin, Kingsley Coman, Simone Pepe, and Álvaro Morata. On paper, the line-up was not Juventus' best, but the selected players still played impressive football against the struggling Parma side after the game commenced.

Juventus was the first to settle after a frantic start that saw both sides trade early blows. The Old Lady players took only twelve minutes to start playing as usual and overwhelm Parma with their signature slow build-ups and tantalizing wing play. They played well over the next few minutes and even came close to taking the lead when Kingsley Coman unleashed a thunderous effort during the 14th minute. But alas, Juventus was unfortunate, as the attempt was repelled by the Parma goalkeeper, who executed a stunning dive to keep the proceedings on the field of play level.

The game continued, and eventually, the Parma players found their rhythm halfway through the first half. They surprised Juventus with a counterattack that resulted in a clear goal-scoring opportunity for Cristian Rodríguez, one of their two center-forwards. However, the shot from the center-forward smashed off the post and headed out of play, and with that, Parma missed the chance to take the lead during the 28th minute.

The Parma players were soon left lamenting that missed opportunity when some lax defending allowed Álvaro Morata, Juventus' center-forward, the freedom to fire an effort goalwards. The keeper tried his best to save the shot. But despite his best efforts, he instead punched it back into the path of the onrushing Kingsley Coman, who tapped home to score Juventus' 1st goal for the night.

That goal seemed to spur Juventus to life, and the Old Lady players played more intensively. They started mounting relentless waves of attacks through the wing, and in so doing, they continued mounting pressure on Parma's goal. Eventually, they scored the second goal very late, during the 78th minute of the game, when Zachary Bemba, who had come on as a substitute, beat the keeper from twenty yards away with a thunderous effort.

After that, the tempo of the game slowed. The Juventus players didn't continue launching relentless attacks against Parma. Instead, they calmed down and played slow but steady passing football to totally freeze out the opponents. Their tactics during the final minutes weren't captivating since their playing style lacked the intent to attack. But those tactics still did the job and allowed them to win the game by a score of 2:0 after four minutes of injury time.

The win against Parma allowed Juventus to qualify for the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia. As such, the Juventus players were swelling with confidence, and they headed into the February fixtures in fine form.I think you should take a look at

Juventus was already the nemesis of every Italian team they played, and everyone was starting to wonder whether they would ever lose or draw a game. Even the often-critical journalists constantly praised them as they whizzed through the February fixtures. But the players (themselves) overlooked the attention and continued doing their thing on the field.

On Sunday, February 1st, 2015, they played their away Serie A game against Udinese Calcio and won by a score of 2:1. Early goals from Fernando Llorente and Claudio Marchisio, the player just from injury, allowed them to seal the deal early on in the first half.

Six days later, on Saturday, February 7th, they returned to action and thrashed AC Milan at home by a score of 4:1. For that game, Zachary was the star, and he scored twice during the 10th and 21st minutes. The other goals were scored by Carlos Tevez and Álvaro Morata, who were Juventus' two center-forwards for the day.

The win against AC Milan further solidified Juventus' position at the top of the Serie A table. As such, the Old Lady players had all the momentum when they played their away Serie A fixture against AC Cesena eight days later, on Sunday, February 15th.

Zachary, Álvaro Morata, and Andrea Pirlo were the players that made an impact on that day. They each found the back of the net during the 17th, 32nd, and 87th minutes, respectively, and with that, they helped Juventus defeat AC Cesena by a score of 3:0.

Five days later, on Friday, February 20th, Juventus faced off against Atlanta at home. The Juventus players failed to win for the first time during the season and managed only a 2:2 draw against the away side.

For that game, Atlanta was the first to strike and draw blood. They took advantage of corner kicks and scored two early goals during the 3rd and 11th minutes. Fortunately, the Juventus players regained their confidence during the second half. They responded with stunning long-distance goals from Zachary and Andrea Pirlo during the 77th and 92nd minutes and finally managed to avoid a defeat.

The Juventus players didn't lose their confidence after facing their 'first failure' that season. They remained steadfast and trained intensively for the following three days before playing their next fixture, which happened to be an away Round of Sixteen Champions League battle against Bayer Leverkusen. They performed impressively and effortlessly dispatched the opponent from German by a score of 3:1.

Carlos Tevez and Álvaro Morata each scored a goal during the 13th and 43rd minutes to give Juventus a comfortable 2:0 lead before the half-time break. But Bayer Leverkusen almost turned the situation around first with a goal of their own and later with another effort that smashed off the post during the opening minutes of the second half. They didn't lose momentum until Zachary caught their defense napping on the counter and scored another solo goal during the 74th minute.

After defeating Bayer Leverkusen, the Juventus players returned their focus to the Italian Serie A. They played the away fixture against AS Roma six days later, on Monday, March 3rd, 2015. They struggled due to fatigue and only managed a 1:1 draw against the second-placed team on the Serie A table.

A goal from Carlos Tevez during the 63rd minute allowed Juventus to take the lead on a day when most Juventus players performed below par. However, that one goal was later canceled out by a 92nd-minute strike from Seydou Keita, which allowed AS Roma to draw the game and take a point home.

With that, the Juventus players dropped points for only the second time in the Serie A that season. But fortunately, it was only a draw, and their unbeaten run in all competitions was intact. So, they quickly overcame their 'second failure' for that season and focused on their next fixture, which happened to be the first leg of the Coppa Italia semi-finals against Fiorentina.

--

Juventus' form didn't diminish over the next two weeks or so. First and foremost, they beat Fiorentina away from home with a score of 0:3 in the Coppa Italia semi-finals. They then returned their focus to the Italian Serie A and won against Sassuolo by a score of 2:0 at home before defeating US Palermo by a score of 1:3 away from home.

With those wins, Juventus accumulated 77 out of the maximum 81 points they could have possibly amassed from their twenty-seven Italian Serie A games at that point of the season. Their worst results all season were the two draws against Atlanta and AS Roma, meaning that their unbeaten run in both the Serie A and other competitions was still intact.

Moreover, after dropping points only twice in the Serie A, Juventus was already ahead of the second-placed AS Roma by 27 points, meaning they were only three victories away from winning the title. They could potentially become the champions as early as Saturday, April 11th, 2015, if they could win their next three Serie A games against Genoa, Empoli, and Parma. They were flying as a team, and no opponent could stop them from achieving glory that season. But first things first, they had to focus on their Champions League return leg against Bayer 04 Leverkusen before thinking about anything else.

Zachary, on his part, had remained impressive throughout all the games Juventus had played. He was always the crucial man on the pitch, with a fierce ability to determine the game's result.

Zachary had scored a hat trick during the Coppa Italia Serie A game against Fiorentina. But that was not the end of his brilliance. He had also continued his goal-scoring form in the Serie A and put one goal past Sassuolo and two past US Palermo.

His sharpness in front of the goal was really incredible, and he had already taken his seasonal tally in all competitions to 45. He had already scored 28 goals in twenty-seven Serie A matches, 10 in seven Champions League matches, 5 in the three Coppa Italia games, and 2 in the Supercoppa Italiana. His overall total was already above forty, meaning he was already close to attaining all the contract bonuses he could possibly earn from Juventus.

Everything was proceeding smoothly for Zachary, as he was having a great season. And as such, his confidence had already soared to the skies when the time to face off against Bayer 04 Leverkusen in the second leg of the Champions League Round-of-Sixteen arrived.

--

Tuesday, March 17th, 2015

Juventus Stadium, Turin, Italy.

Time: 8:30 PM

--

Only fifteen minutes were left before the scheduled kick-off time for the Champions League Round-of-Sixteen second-leg battle between Juventus and Bayer 04 Leverkusen. As always, Coach Allegri stood in the middle of the home team's dressing room, giving a last-minute pep talk to his players. He was trying to ensure that the main points of the game plan hit home before the players could move out of the dressing room and head to the pitch for the game.

"I know that we defeated Bayer 04 Leverkusen during the first leg by three goals to one," he said, sweeping his gaze around. "But that does not mean we should relax and play lackluster football. Our goal is still the same as it has always been during all the games we have played this season. We must play impressive football, create opportunities, score goals, and win the game. We must not allow the opponents to shame us, especially when we're playing at our home ground. We must not only defeat them but thrash them hard simply because..." The coach didn't complete the sentence but glanced around.

Taking the cue, the players replied, "Because we're Juventus."

"We must destroy them and qualify for the Champions League quarterfinals simply because..."

"We're Juventus," the players replied in even louder voices.

"Let's talk about the main points of our game plan." Coach Max Allegri smiled. "As I said before, we'll play with a 4-3-1-2 formation. Evra, Chiellini, Bonucci, and Lichtsteiner are our four defenders. In addition to sweeping balls and clearing dangerous situations away from our goal, they will also be involved in our slow build-ups as we try to stretch the opponent's defensive shape. Our three defensive midfielders will be Vidal, Marchisio, and Andrea Pirlo. I don't need to highlight the role of the three again. Vidal! Marchisio! Andrea Pirlo! You only have to play intelligent football that will conquer the midfield throughout the entire duration of the game."

"Our attacking midfielder is Zachary," the coach continued. "Zachary! As usual, you will act as our attacking pivot. When you're on the ball, try to find the spaces and gaps within Bayer Leverkusen's defense before passing to our strikers. Set them up with well-timed through passes so they can score. But if you also get an opportunity, you can go for glory. You can drive forward or shoot from beyond the box to test the keeper. Are we clear, Zachary?"

"Yes, coach," Zachary replied in somewhat strained Italian.

"Don't forget to float into the wings and initiate one-on-ones with the opposing wing-backs," the coach reminded. "Whenever there's an opportunity, cut in from the flanks and send the ball forward. I'm sure that with your pace, you'll be able to torture their defenders and create goal-scoring opportunities for us. Clear?"

"Yes, coach," Zachary replied. "Everything is clear."

"Good." Coach Max Allegri smiled and nodded. He was especially pleased with Zachary finally mastering some Italian. His job was much more uncomplicated, as he could finally give the boy instructions without relying on his assistants to translate.

While maintaining his smile, Coach Allegri inclined his head to gaze at his two strikers for the day. "Morata! Tevez! You're our two forwards today. Morata! Your role is to stay on the front, waiting for a chance to score. I don't want to see you falling back unless we're in a situation where we have to defend against a corner kick or a dangerous set piece. Understood?"

"Understood!" Álvaro Morata replied.

Coach Allegri nodded and turned to the other striker. "Tevez! You, on the other hand, will have to often fall back into midfield to help out Zachary. You two can work together to tear apart their defense with fast one-twos when an opportunity avails itself. Additionally, you will have to fall back and help with defensive duties whenever we're not in possession. So, you must be ready to give your all and run tirelessly during this match. I don't want to see you relaxing and walking on the field of play. Tevez! Is that clear?"

"Everything is clear, coach," Carlos Tevez replied.

"Good," the coach said and swept his gaze around. "Games like this are tricky. Sure, we're already winning by an aggregate of 3:1, and between Bayer Leverkusen and us, we're the favorites to qualify for the quarter-finals. But guys! As you all know, game circumstances can change if we're to relax. We only need to lose focus for a minute or two, and the opponents will score a goal, and then the pressure will be on us. They can then add a second and even a third, and we'll easily lose our rightful place in the quarters. That's how football can change if we lose concentration during a game."

"So, guys," the coach continued. "Don't let your guard down when you step onto the pitch. Don't just play with a lax mindset of assuming that we've already won the game simply because we have a two-goal advantage from the first leg. That would be a mistake on our part as the opponents would take advantage of that and destroy us. What we need to do instead is play at our best. We must overwhelm the opponents with our tactical prowess and aim for a quick goal early in the first half. As long as we accomplish all that, everything else will be straightforward. We can sit back and play on the counterattack as the game progresses. Then, Bayer Leverkusen will be at our mercy. Understood?"

"Yes, coach," the players replied.

"Then, I'm glad," the coach said with a smile. He then said a few more encouraging words to his players before sending them out of the dressing room. He'd finally done his part as a coach to prepare for the game, and all that was left was to see if his players could execute his game plan properly.

--n0𝑣𝓔𝐿𝐔𝑆𝕓.𝗰0𝐦

The cheers around the stadium hit a thunderous crescendo when the players of both teams walked onto the pitch. The bright floodlights illuminated their glowing jerseys as they went through the pre-match routines, including lining up as the band played the Champions League anthem, then the customary handshake, and finally, the coin toss. The players completed everything quickly, and by 8:43 PM, they were already taking their starting positions on the field of play.

Like the rest, Zachary stretched and warmed up slightly before taking his position just outside the center circle. His frequent scoring of goals had already allowed his confidence to soar over the past few months. He was in tip-top shape and ready to put out his best once again.

Although he was at the moment the top scorer of the Champions League with his ten goals, he still couldn't relax. There were still monstrous players, like Lionel Messi, Neymar, and Cristiano Ronaldo, scoring goals in the Champions League like there wasn't a tomorrow. So, as a person who didn't wish to lose out, he had to play at his best during every game. He had to continue bagging goals match in, match out, without giving all those players a chance to catch up with him. He had to go all out and do everything possible to win that year's Champions League Golden Boot.

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FWEEEEEEE*

The referee blew the whistle at 9:45 PM. The cheers around the stands immediately hit a thunderous peak as Josip Drmic, Bayer 04 Leverkusen's center-forward, kicked off the game by sending a backward pass all the way to his backline.

"Pa..."

The sound of a boot meeting synthetic rubber sounded as Emir Spahic, Bayer 04 Leverkusen's center-back, connected with the ball from Josip Drmic. The defender only took a single touch before flicking it to his left to find Wendell, the left-back.

Wendell, on his part, connected with the ball close to the touchline on the left flank. Then, before any Juventus player could close him down, he whirled around and fed the ball along the touchline to find Heung-min Son, Bayer 04 Leverkusen's left-back for the night.

Heung-min Son didn't dilly-dally when he connected with the ball. With lightning-fast agility, he whirled and twisted to escape the harassment from Stephan Lichtsteiner before accelerating to his top speed within a second.

From there on, Heung-min Son was like a true-blue reincarnation of the Flash as he cut through the pitch while running along the touchline. Along the way, the winger then exchanged a couple of quick one-twos with Josip Drmic, Bayer 04 Leverkusen's center-forward, to beat a few more Juventus players.

The ball naturally returned to him as he cut into the pitch. He collected it midstride and continued racing towards Juventus' box like a galloping horse on the race track. A few seconds later, he beat Leonardo Bonucci, Juventus' center-back, with a simple change of pace and dashed into the box like the wind.

What came next was only natural. Heung-min Son approached the goal from a tight angle before taking on Gianluigi Buffon, the Juventus keeper. His composure was remarkable, and he effortlessly curled the ball past the keeper, hoping to guide it toward the inside of the far post.

At that moment, everything seemed to slow down. All the fans behind Juventus' goal held their breath as they watched the ball fly past the outstretched hand of Gianluigi Buffon before continuing on its trajectory toward the back of the net. But just as the supporters were at the peak of their desperation, a miracle happened. Maybe it was the wind, but the ball deviated at the last moment and smashed off the post before bouncing back into the box. And with that, Juventus barely managed to avoid conceding a goal during the 1st minute of gameplay.

However, the danger was still at large for Juventus. That was because the just-rebounded ball had landed in an area within the box where Josip Drmic, Bayer 04 Leverkusen's center-forward, was lurking. The striker wasted no time pouncing forward and hammering the ball back toward the goal, hoping to score Bayer 04 Leverkusen's 1st goal for the day.

"Whoosh..."

That time, Gianluigi Buffon, the experienced Juventus keeper, was spot-on with his reactions. He threw himself at the ball and, by some miracle, happened to intercept it. He punched it away from the goal and towards the left flank to clear the danger. He had finally saved Juventus from conceding the first goal during the opening minutes.

"Damn it!" Coach Max Allegri couldn't help but let out some expletives. "I warned these guys not to put their guard down after stepping onto the pitch. But after only a minute of gameplay, they seem to have started ignoring my instructions. I can't imagine what will..."

Coach Max Allegri stopped whining as a situation he couldn't have expected transpired on the field of play. Patrice Evra, the Juventus left-back, had just gotten to the loose ball before turning away from an opponent. The defender then wasted no time playing the ball into the middle to find Claudio Marchisio, one of the Juventus midfielders.

Claudio Marchisio, on his part, didn't waste time as it was an opportunity to counterattack. The midfielder squared the ball towards the left to find Andrea Pirlo, the Maestro, who happened to have just moved into an unmarked pocket of space close to the center circle.

"Pa..."

Andrea Pirlo connected with the pass and controlled the ball with lightning-fast reflexes. Then, before anyone could close him down, he drew his leg back and unleashed a lofted pass all the way over the midfield and toward the other side of the pitch.

Andrea Pirlo was obviously trying to find Zachary Bemba, Juventus' playmaker, who happened to have floated toward the right wing. However, due to his rashness when kicking the ball, he misplaced the pass by a slight margin, and it was heading fast toward the outside of the pitch.

"Whoosh..."

At that moment, Zachary went against all expectations and reacted like the wind. He pounced forward and covered half a dozen meters within seconds. Zachary then pushed off the ground with all his might before leaping up and controlling the ball with his back. He successfully stopped the ball from heading out of play before landing back on the ground and turning to face back into the pitch.

"Whoosh..."

A defender slid in wholesale with a ruthless tackle as Zachary tried to realign his posture. It was Wendell, the Bayer 04 Leverkusen left-back. The man glided forth with boundless momentum as if he wanted to slaughter Zachary.

Zachary didn't seem to panic. He skillfully dug his boot under the ball and looped it over the sliding defender to escape the tackle. Then, with deft motions, he landed back on the ground and realigned his posture before taking off toward Bayer 04 Leverkusen's box like a Ferrari on a formula one race track.

Zachary's swift pace worked wonders, and his long strides ate up yards of space like nothing. Before Bayer 04 Leverkusen's defense could get into shape, he was already bearing down the goal and facing off against Bayer 04 Leverkusen's last defender. He beat the opponent with a few side steps and a slight change of pace before racing forward and finally stepping into the box.

The moment of truth had finally come, and Zachary's high mental strength worked like a charm. He remained composed and skillfully slid the ball underneath the arms of the approaching keeper from a tight angle. His finishing touch was spot on, and he easily beat the keeper to score Juventus' 1st goal for the night during the 3rd minute of gameplay.

--

Juventus FC 1 (4) : Bayer 04 Leverkusen 0 (1)n0𝑣𝐄𝐥𝓊𝗌𝐛.𝒸0𝓂

--

"I'll be damned!"

Coach Max Allegri was at a loss for words and could only mumble a few expletives. A few seconds ago, he had started criticizing his players for losing focus and allowing Bayer 04 Leverkusen to attack them and almost score within the first minute. But his players had reacted almost instantaneously and exploited the gaps left by Bayer 04 Leverkusen to turn the situation around. They had launched a lightning-fast counterattack, caught the opponents off-guard, and scored Juventus' 1st goal for the night. As a result, Juventus was already leading by an aggregate score of 4:1 only after three minutes into the second leg of the Champions League Round of Sixteen fixture.

"Congratulations, boss! We're closer to qualifying for the quarter-finals." A voice sounded beside him as he was still processing what had just transpired on the pitch. It was Maurizio Trombetta, his assistant, and he was all smiles after Juventus scored the opening goal.

"Let's not talk about the quarter-finals yet," Coach Max Allegri said lightly. "We're still in the game's opening stages, and anything can happen. We must not let down our guard until we score a few more goals."

"That's a given." Maurizio Trombetta nodded before asking, "By the way, have you noticed that they are not marking Zachary tightly? They didn't assign any player to shadow his movements. That was why he effortlessly caught them by surprise and scored."

"Indeed!" Coach Allegri agreed. "The Germans don't know how dangerous he can be when left unmarked. They are just treating him like any other attacker. Maybe, we can take advantage of that."

"Yes," Maurizio Trombetta agreed. "If he can freely float all over the pitch, then his impact today will be unprecedented."

"That's true," Coach Allegri agreed. "Let's allow him to play a free role. He will then have a greater impact especially on the counterattack."

With that said, the coach wasted no time and called Zachary over. He spent a few seconds giving him new instructions before sending him back to the field of play.

--

The game restarted soon after the celebrations. The Bayer 04 Leverkusen players, who had just conceded a goal, learned their lesson and didn't immediately push many players forward to attack Juventus. They instead settled into a 4-5-1 defensive formation and focused only on resisting Juventus' relentless attacks. They played pure defensive football for the next twelve minutes and denied the Old Lady players a chance to test their goal.

But as the saying goes, old habits die hard. Fifteen minutes into the first half, the Bayer 04 Leverkusen players couldn't resist the temptation of playing as they always did and committing many bodies forward. They all dashed forward like a pack of wolves and launched another terrifying attack against Juventus.

Their intent was to score and bring proceedings back to level terms. But once again, luck was not on their side, and a final shot from Josip Drmic, their center forward, was saved by Gianluigi Buffon.

Gianluigi Buffon, on his part, didn't waste time after making the save. He reacted immediately and picked himself from the ground before racing toward the edge of the box and throwing the ball towards the left flank. His accuracy was spot on, and he effortlessly found Patrice Evra, the Juventus left-back

Evra received the ball close to the touchline. Then, within anything but an instant, he unleashed a pass into the middle to find Zachary, who was lurking close to the center circle.

The counterattack was on, and Zachary didn't dawdle. After controlling the ball, he dashed forward like a lightning bolt and utilized his high agility to circumvent defender after defender. Then, when a passing angle opened up, he threaded a simple through ball to Alvaro Morata, who remained composed and looped the ball over the keeper to score Juventus' 2nd goal for the night during the 16th minute. The score was then 2:0 in favor of Juventus, and the Italian giants were closer to qualifying for the Champions League quarter-finals.

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The Greatest of all Time #Chapter 541 The Strategy is the Counterattack II - Read The Greatest of all Time Chapter 541 The Strategy is the Counterattack II Online - All Page - Novel Usb

Chapter 541 The Strategy is the Counterattack II

--

Juventus FC 2 (5) : Bayer 04 Leverkusen 0 (1)

--

"Mamma Mia! Oh, my goodness me!" Tiziano Caressa, the aged commentator, exclaimed as the Juventus players gathered around the corner flag to celebrate. "Juventus has caught the Bayer 04 Leverkusen defenders napping again. Through Alvaro Morata, they hit the German team on the counter and scored Juventus' 2nd goal for the night during the 16th minute. They have extended their aggregate lead to four goals and are, without a doubt, the team most likely to qualify for the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals. I can't picture how Bayer 04 Leverkusen can overcome such a deficit."

"Indeed," Fabio Crudeli, the other commentator, agreed. "Juventus has players of all types in their squad. They have midfielders with incredible passing ranges, like Andrea Pirlo, Zachary Bemba, and Claudio Marchisio. They also have abnormally-fast players, like Patrice Evra, Stephan Lichtsteiner, Carlos Tevez, and Zachary again. When they all combine, they are deadly on the attack. They have all the arsenal to effortlessly tear through the best defenses in Europe and score when they initiate a counterattack. If the Bayer 04 Leverkusen players don't stop committing more bodies forward, they will continue attracting such terrifying counters and even concede more goals before the final whistle sounds."

"That's true," Tiziano Caressa chimed in. "Once again, Zachary has been quite remarkable for Juventus. He has scored another Champions League goal to take his tally to 11. Additionally, Zachary was the most impressive during Juventus' second counterattack. He dribbled past three defenders before threading an assist that resulted in Alvaro Morata's second goal for Juventus. In my book, Zachary Bemba is the best player on the field tonight."

"Yes, the young ball wizard has been quite spectacular throughout the opening fifteen minutes," Fabio Crudeli, the other commentator, supplemented. "Every time he receives the ball, you can't help but feel that something incredible will happen. He is, without a doubt, a spectacular attacking midfielder, and he is likely to score more goals if the Bayer Leverkusen players don't formulate a plan to contain him."

--

The commentators were totally spot-on with their analysis. Bayer 04 Leverkusen failed to formulate a strategy to contain Zachary, thus sealing their fate in the Champions League Round of Sixteen fixture.

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After a failed attack during the 28th minute, Zachary again caught the Bayer 04 Leverkusen players on the counter. He exchanged lightning-fast passes with Carlos Tevez and Stephan Lichtsteiner as they speared toward the opponent's half to advance the counterattack.

The ball naturally returned to Zachary as he stepped past the border of the final third. He collected it mid-stride and skipped past and dribbling skills, he cut through the pitch like a whirlwind while bearing down fast on Bayer 04 Leverkusen's goal. However, just as a Bayer 04 Leverkusen defender with skillful footwork while continuing to approach the box. Then, when the opposing keeper rushed out from between the posts to greet him, Zachary remained composed. He finished with a simple chip over the helpless keeper to score Juventus' 3rd goal for the night.

But that was not the end of Zachary's brilliance. Immediately after the second half started, he struck again on the counter. By relying on the same strategy of taking on opposing defenders with his pace and dribbling skills, he cut through the pitch like a whirlwind while bearing down fast on Bayer 04 Leverkusen's goal. However, just as he was about to drive past another defender and step into the box, he was unfortunately fouled and denied the chance to score his third goal for the night during the 47th minute.

Fortunately, the referee blew the whistle and offered Juventus a free-kick just outside Bayer 04 Leverkusen's eighteen-yard box. As usual, Zachary stepped forward and converted the set piece from twenty-two yards away to score Juventus' fourth goal for the night during the 49th minute. With that, he had also bagged another hat trick — a feat that allowed him to draw closer to his ultimate goals of winning the Golden Boot and becoming the MVP of the Champions League that season.

The game continued after the goal celebrations. But surprisingly, the Bayer 04 Leverkusen players, who happened to have conceded a fourth goal on the counter, didn't curb their desire to attack. Despite the game circumstances, they persistently stuck to their custom offensive playing style and continued committing bodies forward. And, of course, their stubbornness left them vulnerable to the Juventus attackers, who remained terrifying on the counterattack.

Everything that followed was only natural.

During the 56th minute, Juventus hit them hard again through Carlos Tevez, who linked up with a pin-point pass from Andrea Pirlo to score Juventus' 5th goal for the night.

Twelve minutes later, during the 68th minute, Juventus tore through them again. A long ball from Andrea Pirlo found Patrice Evra, who exchanged quick one-twos with Zachary to cut through the middle and score Juventus' 6th goal on the counterattack. n0𝗏𝓮𝗅𝑢𝓈𝑩.𝑐0𝐌

Five minutes later, during the 73rd minute, the same story played out again. After a failed Bayer 04 Leverkusen corner kick, the Juventus players did what they had done all night and streamed forward to counterattack. Their snappy exchange of passes left Bayer 04 Leverkusen helpless, and they effortlessly arrived in the final third. It was then that ball naturally found its way to Zachary, and he remained composed and unleashed a shot from outside the box to score Juventus' 7th and final goal for the night.

During the 87th minute, the visitors scored for the first time that night. Bayer 04 Leverkusen successfully converted a corner kick and cut Juventus' lead to six goals. However, that was all they could manage, and the game ended when the score was still 7:1 in favor of Juventus.

--

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Once again, Beatrice Paretti, the Sky Italia journalist, hosted the Champions League post-match show that evening. She smiled at the cameras and said, "Okay, that was one weird Champions League game. Can anyone help me understand what exactly happened to Bayer 04 Leverkusen?" She turned to look at the two pundits in the studio.

One of the pundits, who happened to be Roberto Baggio, smiled as the cameras focused on him. "What happened was simple. Bayer 04 Leverkusen tried to play an attacking game against a stronger Juventus side. They left themselves open at the back and attracted more and more counterattacks. That left them with no other possibility but to lose the game by a score of 7:1."

"All that I understand," Beatrice Paretti said while maintaining her smile. "But after conceding the first or second goal, why didn't they alter their game plan? Why didn't they play a defensive game instead of remaining adamant and continuing to play on the offensive against Juventus?"

"Well..." Roberto Baggio smiled. "They initially wanted to equalize the game, but their attack failed. That allowed Juventus to catch them on the counter and score the second goal. Bayer 04 Leverkusen, being an attack-minded team, didn't give up, though. After settling down for a few minutes, they committed bodies forward again to launch another attack but failed. Juventus successfully hit them on the counter, and the cycle continued until Bayer 04 Leverkusen conceded all seven goals."

"Situations like these can happen during games if a team isn't careful," the pundit continued. "You concede a goal and attack, trying to equalize, but the opponent counters and scores the second. You try again and fail, but then the opponent continues scoring a second and possibly a third. Before you know it, you have already conceded four or five goals, and that takes all the morale out of you. You will then play the rest of the game without any drive, and in so doing, you will allow the opponent to score more goals. That might be what happened to Bayer 04 Leverkusen."

"I think Roberto is right," Alessandro Costacurta, the other pundit, said. "I have watched a few of Bayer 04 Leverkusen's games, and I can say with a hundred percent confidence that they are an excellent attack-minded team. Roger Schmidt, their coach, is a person who believes that attacking is the best defense in any game. Most times, he's able to utilize high-pressing tactics coupled with penetrating wing plays to apply pressure on the opponents and possibly score. He should have tried to put into play the same philosophy today. But with the presence of world-class attacking players like Zachary Bemba, Andrea Pirlo, Carlos Tevez, and Alvaro Morata on Juventus' squad, his strategy fell through. He could only watch helplessly from the sidelines as his team collapsed under Juventus' counterattacking strategy and conceded seven goals."

"Talking about Zachary," Beatrice Paretti chimed in, "He scored four more goals today and pushed his Champions League tally for this season to 14. He is only three goals away from equaling Cristiano Ronaldo's record of scoring seventeen times in a single Champions League season."

"Yes," Roberto Baggio agreed with a smile. "Cristiano Ronaldo's 2013-14 record of the most goals scored in a single Champions League season is under threat. Zachary still has to play two legs of the quarter-finals, then maybe two more legs of the semis before qualifying for the final. If Juventus remains in the tournament up to the finals, Zachary will definitely be among the players who continue scoring goals. I don't think he'll fail to find the back of the net three or four more times during those games. There's a high chance he'll set a new record by the end of this season."

"Slow down, Roberto!" Alessandro Costacurta, the other pundit, hurriedly interjected. "Juventus has a possibility of facing off against Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, or Barcelona in the Champions League quarter-finals. Do you think he can maintain his goal-scoring form against such teams?"

"Well..." Roberto Baggio replied. "Teams like Real Madrid and Barcelona are harder to score against. Sure, they will go the extra mile to defend while not forgetting to attack the opponents. But we're talking about Zachary here. He has razor-sharp instincts while in the final third. He only needs a single opportunity, like a free-kick or a slight lapse in concentration on the opponent's side, and he will find the back of the net. As long as he remains fit, he'll continue bagging goals, no matter what teams he faces."

"The quarter-final draw for the Champions League will be held three days later, on Friday, March 20th, 2015," Beatrice Paretti, the host, stated as the cameras focused back on her. "Gentlemen! What are your predictions? Who do you think Juventus will face in the quarter-finals?"

"As I already said, the odds of them facing Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, or Barcelona are high," Alessandro Costacurta declared.

"I'm of a different view," Roberto Baggio said. "Juventus' luck this season has been not bad. I think they will face one of the weaker opponents, like FC Porto, Borussia Dortmund, and Paris Saint-Germain."

"I can see that you all have different predictions," Beatrice Paretti said with a chuckle. She then spent the next few minutes discussing the other Champions League Round of Sixteen fixtures before ending the show.

--

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Chapter 542 A Call for International Duty

"DING"

A system notification resounded in Zachary's mind when he returned to his room later that night.

"The user has just scored more than a hat trick against Bayer 04 Leverkusen, which happens to be a top-four German Bundesliga team," the apathetic voice of the system AI followed. "As a result, the user has met the part-condition of the Giant-Killer Hattrick Challenge and acquired another skill shard of Ronaldinho's Step-Over and Feint Kingly Magic."

"The user has now obtained three out of the required twelve shards, meaning that he only has to collect nine more to meet the conditions needed to learn the skill."

"The user should continue working hard and score more hat tricks against the top-four teams of the best European Leagues, including the Italian Serie A, the English Premier League, the French League 1, the Spanish La Liga, and the German Bundesliga. That way, the user can quickly learn Ronaldinho's Step-Over and Feint Kingly Magic and push his game to another level."

Zachary's eyes lit up after hearing what the system AI had to say.

A few weeks ago, during the first leg of the Coppa Italia semi-finals, he had scored a hat trick against Fiorentina, which happened to be a top-four Italian Serie A team, and obtained a skill shard. Then, tonight, during the second leg of the Champions League Round of Sixteen, he bagged another four goals against Bayer 04 Leverkusen, a top-four German Bundesliga team, and obtained yet another shard. As such, he had now collected three of the twelve required skill fragments, and he was a step closer to learning Ronaldinho's Step-Over and Feint Kingly Magic.

Imagining all the glory he could get from learning the skill, Zachary's spirits soared. He wasn't satisfied with his current dribbling skills since they were still a level below those of once-in-a-generation dribblers like Diego Maradona, Lionel Messi, and Ronaldinho. He figured that if he could learn Ronaldinho's Step-Over and Feint Kingly Magic, he would gain all the tools to consummate his skills and form a never-before-seen potent dribbling style. Then, by utilizing his well-balanced and still evolving physical fitness attributes, he would bring out the best of the dribbling style and turn into a nightmare that every defender, no matter how skilled, would dread. Within two or three years, maybe all football fields would turn into his backyard, and he would achieve the greatness no football player had ever accomplished.

"The Champions League quarter-final draw is on Friday," Zachary mused as he settled on his bed. "I wonder what team we'll get for the quarter-finals."

The teams that had qualified for the Champions League quarter-finals included Real Madrid, FC Porto, Paris Saint-Germain, FC Bayern München, Monaco, and Juventus. If nothing too unexpected transpired, Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund would also win their games scheduled for the following day and qualify for the quarters.

Zachary understood that there was rarely a chance for any side to reach the quarters of a prestigious tournament like the Champions League without the matching skills and squad depth. As such, he had long readied himself to meet a strong opponent in the quarter-final. His confidence was boundless after experiencing the recent growth in his skills. No matter whether it was Real Madrid, Barcelona, or Bayern München, he would readily take them on in sooner rather than later in the Champions League.

"Time to go to bed."

the quarters, especially since it was better to challenge them sooner rather than later in the Champions League.

"Time to go to bed."

After playing ninety-plus minutes of intense Champions League football, Zachary's energy levels had long sunk below the norm. He didn't go through his pre-bedtime yoga routine but washed up quickly before entering between the sheets. A few minutes later, he slowly dozed off and eventually sunk into a peaceful and long slumber.

The sound of his phone ringing woke him up the following day. Opening his eyes slightly, he immediately realized it was already late in the morning. The sunlight streaming golden through a gap in the curtains illuminated his sleepy face. He raised his hand and shielded his eyes from the assault before extending his hand to pick up the still-ringing phone from the bedside table.

"Hello," he spoke into the phone after pressing the accept button.

"Bonjour, Zachary!" A familiar voice greeted him in French from the other side of the line. "I'm Omar Sangare. We previously talked on the phone."

"Sangare!" Zachary said while pushing himself from the bed into a seating position. "It has been long since we last communicated."

"Yes, it has been a long time. We last talked before the AFCON started. It has been more than two months since then."

"Yes, that's true," Zachary replied. "Congratulations upon winning the AFCON, by the way. The Ivory Coast team was impressive throughout the tournament." As he had expected, Ivory Coast performed well during the 2015 African Cup of Nations tournament. They defeated all opponents and finally emerged Champions after beating Ghana in the finals.

"Thank you, Zachary!" Omar Sangare said from the other end of the line. "We won. But it was tough. Had you been part of our squad, maybe it would have been easier for us to beat Ghana in the finals."

"That may not be the case," Zachary said. "Let's put the past aside. The reason for your call should be to tell me good news. Is that right?"

"That's exactly so," Omar Sangare said. "We have processed everything concerning your citizenship switch and submitted all the required paperwork to CAF and FIFA. You are now officially a citizen of the Ivory Coast and can play for us during the upcoming matches."

"Finally, that's good news," Zachary exclaimed. He had hoped that the Ivory Coast officials would process all his change of nationality paperwork by the end of January. But they had gone up to the end of March before finishing everything. At long last, his patience had paid off, and he could finally play international matches under the banner of the Ivory Coast team.

"Within the next two or three days," Omar Sangare stated, "Someone from our embassy in Italy will deliver the relevant paperwork, including your passport and identity card, to your residence in Turin. Feel free to use them during your upcoming travels."

"Thanks," Zachary said. "Are there any upcoming matches for Ivory Coast? And if there are, will I be part of the Ivory Coast team for those matches?"

"Yes, to all questions," Omar Sangare replied. "There are international friendlies coming up within the next two weeks or so. First, we'll play Angola on Thursday, March 26th, 2015. Then, three days later, on Sunday, March 29th, we'll battle Equatorial Guinea in another friendly. Both matches will be played at home in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. Our coach, Hervé Renard, has entrusted me with inviting you to the national team for both matches. Will you manage to come?"

"Of course, I'll travel and be there before the games," Zachary readily answered. He had long crammed the football calendar. He was sure there was a two-week international break after Juventus' upcoming Serie A game against Genoa. As such, nothing would prevent him from traveling to Ivory Coast and joining his new teammates for the friendlies.

Moreover, he understood that he would never get a second chance to make a fine first impression on his teammates. He didn't wish to appear as an arrogant and prideful player who would, without a second thought, dismiss a call from the national team he'd chosen to represent. Instead, Zachary wanted to portray to his new teammates that he was a down-to-earth team player who would become a dedicated comrade during their endeavors to achieve football glory. Following that reasoning, there was no chance he would ignore his first call on the Ivory Coast team, despite knowing he would only get to play in two almost-pointless friendly games.

"I'm glad you chose to join us for the friendlies," Omar Sangare said excitedly. "When do you wish to travel?"

Zachary thought before saying, "My club has a Serie A game against Genoa on Sunday, March 22nd. I can only travel after that. Let's go with Monday, March 23rd. I can take a night flight from Turin on the 23rd and arrive in Ivory Coast the next day."

"Excellent," Omar Sangare exclaimed. "Arriving in Ivory Coast on the 24th will allow you two days of rest before the game against Angola. We'll even get time to conduct a press conference and introduce you to the local fans. It's truly a good plan."

"I'm glad you like the plan. If there's nothing else, I'll be hanging up." Zachary had just looked at the clock and realized that the time was already approaching ten in the morning. He wanted to end the call quickly and start on his other duties for the day.

"Just a moment," Omar Sangare hurriedly said. "Don't spend your money buying a plane ticket. I will e-mail you a first-class night plane ticket from Turin to Abidjan within the next two days. Are there any airlines you prefer?" n0𝑣𝔢𝒍𝓊𝑠𝕓.𝕔0𝑚

"Air France and Royal Air Maroc," Zachary replied. "The two airlines should both have flights from Turin to Abidjan. You can go with any of the two."

"Excellent," Omar Sangare said. "That's all the information I needed. Have a good day, and see you in Abidjan on the 24th."

"Thanks for calling, and see you then. I have to go now. Bye."

Zachary quickly ended the call. He then jumped out of bed and washed his face before starting his morning yoga routine. He was eager to overcome his post-match fatigue and regain a hundred percent match fitness before Juventus' upcoming Serie A home game against Genoa.

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Chapter 543 Coach Allegri's Advice

As promised, Zachary received both his Ivorian passport and first-class air ticket to Abidjan within the next two days. He also met an official from the Ivory Coast Embassy in Italy, who explained issues concerning his citizenship switch to him.

The Ivorian Embassy official mentioned that Zachary would be entitled to several benefits, including match bonuses and travel allowances, among other perks, while playing for the Ivorian National Football team. As a true-blue Ivory Coast citizen, Zachary could also enjoy all the privileges that all Ivorians were entitled to. Whether it was buying land in Ivory Coast or voting, he could enjoy all those rights whenever he wished. And as a surprise, the official mentioned something about the Ivorian government offering Zachary some tax cuts and tax holidays if he ever decided to settle down in Ivory Coast and start businesses there.

The Ivorians were sure trying to make Zachary feel welcome on the Côte d'Ivoire National Football team. But, of course, there was a catch. He had to first represent their country well during international football competitions like the World Cup before he could enjoy the most rewarding benefits. There was no way around that.

After ending the meeting with the Ivorian Embassy official, Zachary readily returned his focus to training. He joined his teammates at the Vinovo, and together, they spent the next few days refining tactics and sharpening the game plan for their upcoming home Serie A game against Genoa.

As they trained, the hours turned into days, and the eve of the game arrived much quicker than they had expected. They ended their training early, at around 3:00 PM on that Saturday. They washed up and rested for about an hour before heading to the tactical room to attend Coach Max Allegri's pre-match strategy meeting.

--

Like always, Coach Max Allegri didn't spend much time explaining the tactics that day. He only highlighted a few main points of the game plan to ensure that his players were in the right mindset before the game. After that, he read out the line-up that included his most skilled players like Patrice Evra, Chiellini, Bonucci, Lichtsteiner, Vidal, Marchisio, Zachary, Andrea Pirlo, and Carlos Tevez. Then finally, after assigning individual roles, he faced the crowd and started talking about the significance of the game against Genoa with a solemn tone.

"Lads!" The coach said, sweeping his gaze across his players. "We're only two and a half wins away from winning the Serie A title. We're just a step away from making history and winning the Italian League with eight matches remaining before the end of the season. We could be champions as early as Saturday, April 11th, 2015, if we could attain two victories and a draw in our next three games. What we have to do to achieve our hopes seems simple on paper. But if we falter and lose focus at this crucial moment, everything we've worked for all season might blow up in smoke. In the worst case, our fall from grace would start with losing a single game, and our momentum would falter. We would then struggle in the matches that follow, and the cycle would go on — until the very point when the trophy we were sure to win escapes our grasp."

"Guys!" Coach Max Allegri continued. "I know that it's hard to imagine us faltering and losing our overwhelming 27-point lead. I know that it's hard to visualize our team losing nine of the remaining eleven Serie A games and squandering our chance to win another title. But guys, as professionals, we should all know that anything can happen this late in the season."

"Some teams are struggling to avoid relegation, others are fighting to gain a spot to play Champions League and Europa League football, and the remaining few wish to end their season well with a good position on the Serie A table. All those teams will be tough opponents when we chance upon them, especially since they will be willing to do everything possible to go home with a point or three after a game. They will ensure that we sweat and struggle hard to score any goal while out there on the pitch."

"How do we overcome them? Simple! We remain focused! We remain hardworking! We remain motivated! We prepare and play each of our next three games as if they are all finals. We do what we have been doing all seasons and play with the sole intent of winning. That's how we remain ahead of everybody else and win the Serie A title. That's how we become Champions! Do you guys feel me? Are you with me?"

"Yes, coach!" The players replied more or less in unison. n0𝔳𝑬𝑙𝓊𝓈𝒷.𝓬0𝓂

"Are you with me?" The coach asked again in an even louder voice.

"Yes, coach! We're with you." The players roared back to match their coach's enthusiasm. They all seemed quite motivated after listening to their coach's little speech.

"Nice!" Coach Max Allegri inhaled deeply and narrowed his eyes. "Everything starts tomorrow. Our quest to become champions in the shortest time possible will begin when we face Genoa at 3:00 PM tomorrow. What are we to do? Simple! We play as usual and We overwhelm them and thrash them so hard — and in so doing, we build up more momentum for the upcoming games. That is all render our opponents powerless in the face of our individual brilliance and formidable teamwork. We play with enough drive and work hard from the first minute of the game so that our opponents will find it almost unimaginable to get even a draw from the match. We overwhelm them and thrash them so hard — and in so doing, we build up more momentum for the upcoming games. That is all we have to do, and we'll still be on the right course to win the Serie A title within the next three games..."

The coach spent fifteen more minutes voicing out encouraging words to his players. Then, after ensuring that his message had hit home, he said his goodbyes to his players and sent them back to their homes for the night.

--

After the tactics meeting ended, Zachary hurriedly stood up and followed the two coaches - Max Allegri and Maurizio Trombetta. He caught up with the coaches as they turned into the hallway heading to the offices and then wasted no time requesting a small discussion with them.

The coaches had no reason to deny his request. They readily invited him to Coach Max Allegri's office and offered him a seat.

"So, Zachary!" Coach Allegri exchanged a glance with his assistant and spoke first. "What is this about? Why do you wish to meet us on the eve of an important game? Is there a problem?"

"Coach!" Zachary spoke in his somewhat strained Italian. "I'm not facing any challenges at the moment. But I just wanted to inform you that I will travel away from Turin to represent my country during the international break."

Coach Max Allegri wrinkled his brows. "So, the rumors are true. You'll represent Côte d'Ivoire."

"Yes, that's true," Zachary replied. "I'll play for Côte d'Ivoire during the upcoming international friendlies."

Coach Max Allegri nodded. "When do you wish to travel? And when will you be returning?"

"I will take a night flight from Turin to Abidjan the day after tomorrow. Then, if everything proceeds according to plan, I should return to Turin eight days later, on Wednesday, April 1st, 2015. That will be three days before our game against Empoli."

"Oh!" Coach Max Allegri narrowed his eyes and glanced at the calendar on his table. He then turned his gaze back to Zachary and asked, "Can't you return earlier? Just remember that we're at a sensitive point of the season. All teams we face will go all out to stop us from winning the trophy this early in the season. We need all our crucial players, including you, to train adequately for the games."

"Coach!" Zachary said. "I understand all that. But still, it will be impossible for me to return to Turin before April 1st. Ivory Coast's game against Equatorial Guinea is on Sunday, March 29th. After the game, I'll have to rest on the 30th before taking an evening flight from Abidjan to Turin on the 31st. Coach! As you can see, I have already cut my schedule short in order to return to Turin and join the preparations for our game against Empoli as soon as possible. I can't cut it any further."

Coach Allegri's brows remained creased. He inhaled deeply again and said, "Okay! I understand, Zachary. You're, of course, free to go and represent your country. But please take care of yourself while out there. Protect yourself from injuries during matches, and avoid overstraining yourself. As you already said, you'll be playing international friendlies. So, there's no point pushing yourself hard and hurting yourself at this crucial point of the season. Understood?"

"I understand, coach!" Zachary said. "I will do my best to protect myself while out there. More than anything, I also wish to continue performing well both in the Serie A and Champions League."

"Good!" Coach Allegri smiled for the first time. "I'm glad you understand. After here, you can email human resources about the issue. I'll give the go-ahead, and they will readily accept your request to travel to Ivory Coast on Monday."

"Thanks for your consideration, coach," Zachary said with a smile.

"No need for thanks." Coach Allegri's smile brightened. He then talked with Zachary about other issues, including his training challenges and personal life. Then, about thirty minutes later, they ended their conversation on a positive note and went their own ways.

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Chapter 544 The Shocking Opening Minutes

Sunday, March 22nd, 2015

Juventus Stadium, Turin, Italy.

Time: 3:00 PM

--

FWEEEEEEE*

The referee blew the whistle on time, and the much-anticipated Serie A battle between Juventus and Genoa commenced. The first few minutes were full of midfield battles as both teams fought hard to gain dominance on the field of play. But eventually, after about twelve minutes of intense football, Juventus came out on top by relying on their star-studded midfield, which included world-class players like Andrea Pirlo, Arturo Vidal, and Zachary Bemba. The team from Turin effortlessly settled into the game and started dictating the tempo. From there on, Juventus' attacks grew increasingly more threatening, and it wasn't long before the men in striped black and white jerseys created their first goal-scoring chance.

"Whoosh..."

Zachary, who had already gotten used to his unrestrained role on the Juventus squad, floated into the left wing during the 14th minute. He connected with a raking long ball from Andrea Pirlo and then initiated a two-versus-one battle against Facundo Roncaglia, one of the three Genoa defenders. By working with Patrice Evra, the two of them effortlessly beat the Genoa defender, and before long, they started cutting back into the pitch towards Genoa's goal.

"Zachary! Zachary..."

The cheers around the stadium hit a thunderous peak as Patrice Evra received the ball and quickly threaded it back to Zachary to complete another lightning-fast exchange of one-twos.

Zachary controlled the ball well without losing composure and squared it toward Carlos Tevez, who happened to have just dashed into an unmarked pocket of space at the edge of Genoa's box.

Carlos Tevez, on his part, was quite unselfish at that juncture. He took only a single deft touch to escape from his marker. Then, when the angle opened up, the Argentine unleashed a diagonal pass through the legs of the defender and into the path of Zachary, who happened to have continued his brazen sprinting toward the opponent's goal.

With that rapid exchange of passes between Zachary and Tevez, the Genoa center-backs were thoroughly beaten. Their expressions appeared contorted as they instinctively turned around to stare at Zachary, who happened to be already driving into the box like a lightning bolt. But despite their unwillingness to surrender, there was not a thing they could do at that moment to stop him. Like statues, they remained rooted in place as the cheers rose up a notch in anticipation of Juventus' first goal on the night.

"Pa..."

Zachary slowed down and took another touch as he approached the keeper from a tight angle. Everything before him seemed to slow down at that moment, and he drew his leg back before unleashing a shot toward the goal. His intent was to curl the ball past the keeper and then effortlessly find the inside of the far post before the Genoa defenders could recover.

However, to Zachary's surprise, Mattia Perin, the Genoa goalkeeper, reacted abnormally. The keeper, who had already initiated a diving motion to the right, suddenly altered his center of gravity to realign his posture and spring to the left. Moreover, Mattia Perin's reflexes were lightning-fast, and he managed to graze the ball with his fingertips, thus altering the shot's trajectory by a slight margin.

"Shit..."

Zachary couldn't help but mutter a curse when he saw the goalkeeper's fingertips skimming the ball. He had gone for accuracy, intending to find the far corner, just inside the far post, as he released the ball. As such, he was already dreading the fact that the slight graze from the keeper would send the ball away from its intended target, and then he would be in for a world of disappointment.

"BAM!"

As expected, Zachary's curling shot didn't find the inside of the far post. The ball instead smashed off the post before rebounding into the box. Fortunately, Juventus' chance wasn't over as Carlos Tevez was the first to pounce toward the just-rebounded ball. The Argentine reached it before all the opponents and unleashed a first-time snapshot toward the middle of the goal. Moreover, he had taken the shot with power and thus effortlessly beat the Genoa keeper, who was still trying to pick himself up from the ground after saving Zachary's effort.

"This is it..."

Zachary, who happened to be watching from the side, felt his hopes soar as the ball dashed past the keeper while heading fast toward the back of the net. But the next second, his spirits sank into the abyss of boundless gloom as a silhouette donning Genoa's red and dark blue jersey appeared out of the blue to intercept the shot. The Genoa man moved like a ghost, and before Zachary could blink, the ball was already being cleared away from the goal line.

"What the hell..."

Feelings of surprise and dismay assaulted Zachary's psyche as he watched the just-cleared ball soar high toward the night skies of Turin before floating out of play. Zachary had tried his best to chip the ball past the keeper and score Juventus' 1st goal during the 15th minute but failed. Seconds later, Carlos Tevez also tried on the rebound but still failed. Moreover, there was also that Genoa defender who appeared out of nowhere to clear away Tevez's effort from the goal line. The entire series of events replayed through Zachary's mind, and he could contain his anguish. He was even more disappointed with himself for missing the chance after taking in the dejected expressions of the Juventus supporters in the stands behind the goal.

"Don't mind, don't mind!" A familiar voice sounded beside Zachary as the negative feelings threatened to overwhelm him. "We have missed these two chances. That's a fact. But let's get over them quickly and create more opportunities. As long as we keep on testing their defense and keeper, we'll, at one point, score a goal."

Zachary inclined his head and realized that the player trying to console him was Fernando Llorente, Juventus' second-striker for the day. Smiling slightly, Zachary said, "Thanks, Fernando. I understand what we have to do. Let's continue creating more opportunities. I don't believe the Genoa defenders will continue being lucky if we create more chances on goal. We'll surely score and win the game."

"That's the spirit." Fernando Llorente smiled and patted Zachary's back. "We try once, and if we fail, we try the second, then the third, and countless more times until we finally score. That's all we have to do until we score."

Zachary nodded and headed back toward his position in midfield. The cleared ball had moved out of play for a throw-in on the left flank. So, he readily sprinted into an unmarked space close to the left of the midfield and shouted for the ball.

FWEEEEEEE*

The referee blew the whistle a second or so later. Patrice Evra, the Juventus left-back, immediately raced towards the line and threw the ball into the pitch. The Frenchman's accuracy was spot on, and he effortlessly found Zachary, who was still lurking in the unmarked pocket of space close to the border of the final third on the left flank.

"Whoosh..."

Zachary took off like the wind and connected with the throw-in ball from Patrice Evra. His SS-grade skills worked like a charm, and he brought the ball under control on the first try.

But right at that moment, his instincts tingled. With a slight incline of his head, he spotted a Genoa player approaching his position like a speeding train.

Zachary held his breath and let his instincts take over. He controlled the ball with his right boot while using his body to shield it from the fast-approaching defender. The next second, the Marseille Turn Juju worked wonders — and just like a true-blue incarnation of the great Zinedine Zidane, he smoothly completed a 360-degree turn before accelerating quickly past the defender.

Control the ball! Marseille Turn! Instant acceleration!

Zachary completed the entire series of movements swiftly and gracefully, like a skilled dancer performing an elegant dance with the ball. Before the helpless defender could realize what was happening, Zachary was already dashing past another opponent while approaching Genoa's box like a raging tempest.

A few seconds later, Zachary floated into the space before the box and faced off against Nicolás Burdisso, Genoa's captain and center-back. Zachary didn't choose to take the defender on with his dribbling skills. Instead, he skillfully threaded a diagonal ball past the defender to set up a one-versus-one battle between Fernando Llorente and the Genoa keeper. Moreover, Zachary's timing was spot on, and he released the ball a second before Fernando Llorente could run into an offside position.

At that moment, the cheers around the Juventus stadium hit a thunderous crescendo. Fernando Llorente was, of course, not bothered by the loud noise in the stadium. He connected with Zachary's pin-point through pass on the left side of the box and drove it forward like the wind. Then, before the Genoa defenders could react, he dug his boot under the ball and dinked it over the keeper with the grace and composure that matched his skills as a world-class finisher.

Right after that, Fernando Llorente slowly started raising his hands, seemingly to celebrate. But then, the next moment, his expression turned aghast as something he had not expected transpired. And just by reflex, he placed his already raised hands to the back of his head as the ball smashed off the crossbar and bounced back into the space just before the goal line.

"The chance is still on," Zachary yelled to remind the stunned Fernando Llorente. "Hurry and go after the ball..."

Fernando Llorente, being a sharp striker of the world-class level, didn't need any reminders on what to do in such a situation. He reacted like a mighty lion going in for the kill and dived head-first toward the still-bouncing ball.

Right at that moment, when Fernando's head was 'just about' to make contact with the ball, the time seemed to slow down, and a gloved hand appeared out of nowhere. It was, of course, Mattia Perin, Genoa's goalkeeper, in action. The shot-stopper's acrobatics were almost inhuman as he palmed the ball away from Fernando's head at the last instant to save the situation. n0𝑣𝔢𝒍𝓊𝑠𝕓.𝕔0𝑚

FWEEEEEEE*

The referee immediately blew the whistle and pointed to the corner flag after the ball bounced beyond the touchline for a corner kick. But all the Juventus players, including Zachary, seemed oblivious to the referee's actions. Their shocked and dismayed expressions said it all. It was as if they were still stuck in a past moment, and they couldn't believe they had missed yet another clear chance to take the lead during the 17th minute.

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Chapter 545 Deadlock

The referee's whistle sounded again, and the Juventus players went into action. Andrea Pirlo smashed the ball from the corner spot and sent it on a curling trajectory toward Genoa's already chaotic box.

Within the area, the players of both teams had long started a messy battle of pulling, grabbing, and shoving each other. As the corner ball descended toward the box, there seemed to be the smell of gunpowder around the area. The scramble was a fight for aerial superiority blown out of proportion. As such, the eyes of all the competing players glittered with indomitable fighting spirit as they all struggled to outwit their opponents and meet the corner ball.

"Whoosh..."

Leonardo Bonucci, the Juventus center-back, was the first to overpower an opponent and leap off the ground to meet the corner ball. But under the entanglement of another opponent, his head missed the ball by mere inches, and he could only dejectedly watch it continue toward the direction of the far post.

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh..."

A second later, players of both teams continued towering high into the air to connect with the ball. But their attempts were all futile, and the ball flashed barely above their heads as it continued on its teasing trajectory toward the area beyond the far post.

The next instant, right as the ball was about to float out of play, a silhouette finally connected with it. It was Carlos Tevez, who had long camped in the area just beyond the far post. The center-forward reacted like a Ninja and contorted his physique to throw himself at the ball. He headed it back toward the middle of the box before it could head out of play.

Another chaotic scuffle followed as the players of both teams pounced after the returning ball like hungry hyenas going after a helpless rabbit. But eventually, it was Arturo Vidal, the Juventus midfielder, who came out on top to send the ball past an opponent and toward the goal with a raised boot. His luck seemed to smash through the heavens, and by some miracle, his attempt flashed through the spaces 'in between' a hoard of players before finding the back of the net. n0𝔳𝑬𝑙𝓊𝓈𝒷.𝓬0𝓂

"GOAAAL..."

Being his usual eccentric self, Arturo Vidal immediately roared like a madman and started racing toward the corner flag to celebrate the goal. But right after taking a few strides, he seemed to realize that something was off about the situation and stopped dead in his tracks.

The next moment, he reflexively glanced toward the referee and noticed that the man was already pointing his arm toward Juventus' side of the pitch. Everything was then clear to Vidal. The referee had already blown the whistle to cancel the goal and then offered a free-kick to Genoa.

"Motherfuc..."

Arturo Vidal used every ounce of his willpower to stop himself from going berserk as he raced toward the referee. His acceleration was impressive, and he was in the referee's face within no time.

"Ref!" He said with narrowed eyes akin to a predator eyeing its prey. "What did I do wrong? I went for a fair ball and tapped it into the back of the net without touching an opponent! So, tell me why you canceled our goal and offered the opponents a free kick. Are you kidding me?"

"Raised boot!" The referee said lightly and stepped away from Vidal. "The goal will not stand as your actions lacked unprofessionalism. You were just inches from kicking Facundo Roncaglia in the head with your boot studs. Had he not stepped back to avoid your lunge, he would now be lying on the ground with a head injury. So, Vidal! Tell me why I should allow a goal scored in such a manner to stand?"

Vidal was incensed after hearing the referee's explanation. "Football is a man's game," he said. "How can you cancel a goal simply because a defender playing in the Italian Serie A, which happens to be one of the top football leagues in the world, was scared to make contact with the ball? Your actions don't make any sense!"

The referee smiled and said, "I have already given my explanation. The goal will not stand. Step away and let the opponents take the free-kick."

"But..." Arturo Vidal was about to continue arguing. But right then, the other Juventus players, including Andrea Pirlo, Carlos Tevez, and Patrice Evra, swooped in. They pulled the anguished Chilean midfielder away and stopped him from further angering the referee.

Of course, the other Juventus players were also unsatisfied with the referee's decision. But they remained disciplined and handled the situation calmly to prevent the worst-case scenario from happening. They wanted to ensure Vidal wouldn't get a pointless red card that early in the game.

FWEEEEEEE*

A minute later, after the situation on the pitch calmed down, the referee blew the whistle. The game restarted with a Genoa free-kick. But after only a dozen or so seconds, the Genoa players lost possession, and the Juventus players took advantage of the opportunity to continue dictating the game's tempo.

The Juventus players were sure on fire. They continued arraying themselves in their 3-4-1-2 formation while launching attack after attack against Genoa's defense. They played splendid football throughout the rest of the first half and came close to scoring on numerous occasions. But again and again, their efforts always fell short when they reached the final third, and they couldn't find the back of the net. As such, the score remained deadlocked at 0:0 as the players matched down the tunnel for the half-time break.

After the fifteen-minute break, the game resumed with a bang. The Juventus players, who had just listened to Coach Max Allegri's pep talk, continued playing like they were on steroids. From the very 1st minute of the second half, they started dominating proceedings with their neat midfield play while sometimes attacking from the wings to mount pressure on Genoa's defense.

Everything that followed was only natural. The Genoa players couldn't match Juventus' individual brilliance and teamwork. As such, the players in red and blue jerseys fell back into their own side of the pitch to defend. Their strategy was straightforward. They arrayed themselves into a bizarre 3-6-1 formation, with all bodies back in their own half to 'park the bus' and weather Juventus' increasingly terrifying attacks.

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Chapter 546 Light at the End of a Tunnel

The 'parking the bus' defensive tactic seemed to work wonders for the Genoa players. It allowed them to compensate for their lack of skills with their hard work while toiling like true warriors to prevent Juventus from breaking through their ranks. As such, they kept the game deadlocked at a score of 0:0 as the match approached the late stages.

Of course, there were times the efforts of the Genoa players couldn't stop the inevitable, and the highly tactical Juventus players would break through them. But during such tense moments, Mattia Perin, the Genoa keeper who had been in fine form from the first minute, would rise to the occasion. The miracle worker of a shot-stopper would perform beyond all expectations and save whatever was unleashed at him by the Juventus players. He was a true-blue world-class goalkeeper, at least for that specific day.

For instance, Zachary dribbled past a few Genoa midfielders during the 73rd minute and then unleashed a thunderous shot toward the goal from the edge of the box. But Mattia Perin reacted like an incarnation of a gladiator and punched the ball out of play to save the situation.

Six minutes later, during the 79th minute, Juventus again tried to find the back of the net through Carlos Tevez. The striker turned and twisted to step into the box before unleashing a grounded carpet shot toward the inside of the far post. But once again, the nemesis of Juventus, that was Mattia Perin, made another incredible save and pushed the ball out of play for a corner kick.

During the last few minutes of the game, the Juventus players continued attacking and asking all the important questions on the field of play. Be it long-range shots, one-twos to break into the box, and corner kicks — the Old Lady threw everything they had at the Genoa defense. Their seemingly never-ending attacks caused stress, tension, and anxiety to descend upon the Juventus stadium. And as the game proceeded into injury time, they even shifted into a higher gear and caused all fans and pundits watching the game to hold their breaths.

Juventus' highly skilled players were like demons constantly haunting the Genoa players during the last four minutes of added time. They switched to a Tiki-taka playing style that featured snappy exchanges of passes. Eventually, they linked up well like bona fide ball grandmasters and broke through Genoa's ranks during the 94th minute when only a few seconds remained to the final whistle.

At that crucial moment, the ball naturally returned to Zachary's feet. He turned and twisted close to the edge of the box before drawing his leg back with the intention to unleash a hell of a shot goalward. The only thought in his mind was to find the top right corner and score a winning goal for Juventus before the referee could blow the final whistle.

But just then, before Zachary could swing his leg down, something he had not expected transpired. He felt a strong tug on his shirt, and before he could understand what was happening, he found himself tumbling down on the ground with a thud.

"Foul!"

"Free kick!"

The entire stadium erupted into shouts of fouls and free-kicks the next moment. The yells were deafening as all the Juventus fans, players, and coaches joined together to demand justice for Zachary.

The referee, who had been in a strategic position to observe the foul, didn't need any reminders. He stepped forward and showed a yellow card to Nicolás Burdisso, the center-back who had committed a foul by pulling Zachary back. After that, the referee also pointed to the scene of the fouling incident and offered Juventus a free-kick just a few yards from the box.

"Yeahhhh!"

The stadium erupted into thunderous applause after the referee made the decision. The Juventus fans all started jubilating as they had finally gotten one final chance to score and take the lead before the game could end.

Meanwhile, the Juventus players didn't lose themselves in the excitement. Instead, they remained calm and held a short meeting to prepare for the free kick.

"This is our last chance!" Andrea Pirlo said to Zachary while holding out the ball to him. "Are you confident?"

"Andrea, please!" Patrice Evra hurriedly chimed in before Zachary could respond. "Stop putting the guy under pressure. Let him do as usual and take the free kick. If he scores, he scores. If he doesn't, that's also acceptable. We'll only have to do our best during our upcoming games and compensate for the draw."

Andrea Pirlo narrowed his eyes and glanced at the seemingly lackluster Evra. But being a calm person by nature, the Maestro didn't try to say anything else. He shook his head and handed the ball to Zachary before stepping away.

Zachary, on his part, also shook his head and placed the ball on the free-kick spot. He then raised his head briefly to assess the situation within Genoa's box while also taking a few steps back from the ball.

After having a full grasp of everything, Zachary didn't continue observing. He instead closed his eyes and shut out all the noise. Slowly but steadily, he forgot everything else and entered a bizarre calm state while waiting for the referee to blow the whistle.

FWEEEEEEE*

The referee's whistle sounded after about half a minute.

Zachary's eyes opened like two flashlight beams, and he took only an instant to observe everything before him. Whatever he saw was in high definition as the Dead-Ball Specialist Juju had already pushed his spatial awareness and risk analysis core attributes to the SSS grading. He took an angled run toward the ball before skillfully drawing his leg back to take the set piece.

"BAM!"

His ears picked up the sound of the boot smashing against synthetic rubber. He followed through with his swinging action and sent the ball goalward. His motions were textbook perfect, and he mixed both power and accuracy to send a shot above Genoa's defensive wall. n0𝔳𝑬𝑙𝓊𝓈𝒷.𝓬0𝓂

SILENCE!

A numbing silence immediately descended upon the stadium as the curling shot from Zachary soared over the wall like a surface-to-surface missile. All those watching the game held their breaths as they followed the ball's trajectory.

The Juventus faithful were obviously praying for the ball to find its way into the back of the net. On the other hand, the Genoa supporters, coaches, and players alike were without a doubt glaring at the ball while visualizing words like, "Please, let it be a Miss!" and "Please don't go into the back of the net!"

Of course, the Genoa faithful envisioned all those nasty phrases and bad luck words with red eyes, and if they could, they would readily reach out to a shaman to curse the ball at that moment. But alas, there was nothing they could do as everything happened almost in an instant.

The ball made a perfect parabola over the wall, and before anyone could blink, it started descending toward the goal. The on-form Genoa keeper reacted as he should and executed an acrobatic dive to save the situation. But alas, his actions were a tad bit too late, and the ball flashed a few inches beyond his outstretched fingertips before grazing off the post and homing into the back of the net. And with that, Zachary had saved the day and converted a last-minute free kick to give Juventus the lead during the 97th minute of gameplay.

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Chapter 547 The Awestruck Commentators

Juventus FC 1 : Genoa CFC 0

--

The loud yells and maddening cheers of the Juventus fans shook the stadium to its core after Zachary converted a free-kick to score the 1st goal of the evening. The situation within the stands also turned messy as the supporters of all age groups jumped, danced, sang, and jubilated like a bunch of kids that had just chanced upon Santa Claus on Christmas Eve.

During the chaos, some of the supporters even tried to jump over the barricades and rush into the pitch to celebrate. But fortunately, the meticulous stadium security did a remarkable job and stopped the frenzied fans from following through with their intended actions. n0𝑣𝑬𝑙𝒰𝗌𝔟.𝒸0𝗆

In the meantime, the Juventus players had also gathered around the corner flag to celebrate the goal. They jubilated like there was no tomorrow in front of their fans for minutes without minding about anything else. A madness of excitement had long overwhelmed them after Zachary bagged the winner very late in the game.

The referee, on his part, didn't hurry the Juventus players to end their celebrations as the added minutes of injury time had already elapsed. He blew the final whistle and brought the proceedings to a close, thus sending the already jubilating Juventus fans, players, and coaches into more frenzy. More chaos and cheers ensued after that, and the situation in the stadium didn't calm down until after about half an hour.

"Well, well, well..." Fabio Crudeli, the commentator for the day, exclaimed when the cheers started dying down. "Zachary has done it again. He did what he does best and converted a free kick to score Juventus' 1st goal for the evening very late during injury time. When we were all beginning to believe Juventus would drop points today, Zachary Bemba rose to the occasion and won the game with barely any seconds remaining on the clock. He is definitely a ball wizard that makes things happen, and he has just given Juventus the most extraordinary ending to the match."

"I don't care about what anyone else says," Tiziano Caressa, the other commentator, said. "I also don't care about the score. But in my book, this is the most extraordinary match ending the Italian Serie A has had all season. Right from the first minute, the Juventus players threw everything they had at Genoa. But Genoa was a tough nut to crack, and the men in blue and red held their own against the Italian giants. The visitors played with character and drive and kept the score deadlocked at a score of 0:0 until the very last minute. They were only seconds away from going home with a point, but then they committed a foul in front of the box to gift Zachary the perfect chance to go for glory. Had they not committed the foul, maybe we would have had a different ending, and Genoa would have gone home with a point today."

"I wonder what went through Nicolás Burdisso's mind before he committed the foul," Fabio Crudeli said. "All of us understand that conceding a free-kick within the final third against Juventus is like conceding a penalty against any other Serie A team! Due to Zachary's presence, Juventus always has an abnormally high probability of scoring from a set piece rather than from open play. The Genoa coaches should have warned Nicolás Burdisso about all this before the game. So, why did he commit a foul on Zachary only a few yards from the box? What was he thinking?"

Tiziano Caressa chuckled. "My friend, you're forgetting one thing. When you're a defender, the only instinct that rules your mind is stopping the opponent from moving forward. You might tell yourself not to commit a foul thousands of times before stepping on the pitch. But at the crucial moment, when a forward is just about to leave you in the dust and attack your goal, your instincts will take over. You'll reflexively try to tackle the ball, and if you can't, you'll go for a foul and take one for the team."

"This is just what happened to Genoa's center-back - Nicolás Burdisso," the commentator continued. "He didn't wish to foul Zachary. But when he noticed that the boy wizard was about to pull the trigger, he reacted instinctively and pulled him back."

"Let's also not forget that the Genoa players were already spent at that point in the game. They were tired. They were only keeping Juventus at bay by relying on their drive. But as we all know, sheer will and fighting spirit can only take you so far during an intensive football game, especially on the professional stage. When you're playing against highly skilled opponents, and fatigue sets in, then your fighting spirit won't help. Your reactions will slow down, and the only thing you can do to stop your opponent at a crucial moment is to foul."

"Nicolás Burdisso had been defending tenaciously for 90-plus minutes against highly tactical and agile players like Zachary, Carlos Tevez, and Andrea Pirlo. He was already fatigued during the 94th minute, and the only thing he could do to stop Zachary was to pull him back before he could pull the trigger. Of course, the other option was to ignore the dire situation and let Zachary shoot. But we don't know whether Zachary would have found the target and beaten the keeper to score."

"Talking about the keepers," Fabio Crudeli said, "Gianluigi Buffon, the Juventus keeper, had a relaxed evening. If I remember correctly, the Genoa players only tasted him twice or thrice, and all occasions were during corner kicks. On the other hand, Mattia Perin, the Genoa keeper, had a busy evening. He made a whooping sixteen saves, nine of which were from inside the box. The Juventus players, including Zachary, Tevez, Fernando Llorente, and Pirlo, tested him countless times. But time after time, he continued coming out on top and kept the score deadlocked at 0:0 until the very last second when he conceded that unfortunate free-kick."

"His goalkeeping was truly world-class today," Tiziano Caressa, the other commentator, supplemented. Sighing audibly, the commentator continued, "It's funny how a single instance can change the game outcome in multiple ways. Had Genoa managed to draw the game and go home with a point, then Mattia Perin, the Genoa keeper, would have become the undisputable Man of the Match today. But that 97th-minute goal from Zachary cast a blemish on his incredible performance. He has missed the Man of the Match honor, and the saddest part is that he lost it to Zachary Bemba, the only player who managed to overpower his goalkeeping skills and win the match for Juventus."

"Talking about Zachary," Fabio Crudeli chipped in with a chuckle, "The young ball wizard's form in the second half of this Serie A season is really incredible. He just can't stop putting up phenomenal displays on the field of play, and he also can't stop scoring. He has achieved remarkable growth and pushed his skills to a world-class level in just a few months. I remember that during November, right before Zachary won the Golden Boy, we were still debating whether he was qualified to make it into the shortlist of the Ballon d'Or. But four months later, he has already evolved into a terrifyingly monstrous razor-sharp version of his former self on the field of play. He is, without a doubt, Juventus' most important player, and they couldn't have achieved all their success this season without his input."

"Yeah, Zachary's form is just something else this season," Tiziano Caressa said. "When I'm watching him on the field of play, it's as if I'm seeing a combined version of great players like Andrea Pirlo, David Beckham, Zinedine Zidane, and Ronaldinho. His flair with the ball is something I can't describe with words. It's simply world-class. But that's not all. He is also a terrifyingly well-balanced player who can play multiple crucial roles on the field. If you manage to stop his dribbles, he will switch to playing like a Maestro and unleash deadly defense-splitting passes. If you flood the defensive midfield with bodies to stop him from finding spaces, he will simply shrug that off and then float into the wings, where he can initiate one-versus-one battles to destroy your wing-backs. And if everything else fails, he can create a free-kick opportunity and convert it with his incredible set-piece conversion skills. Whatever you throw at him is always not enough, and I can't think of a way to really stop him from performing his magic on the playing field."

"In midweek, Zachary scored four goals against Bayer 04 Leverkusen to take his Champions League tally to 14 goals this season," Fabio Crudeli stated. "Today, he has scored a late winner against a tenacious Genoa side and taken his Serie A tally to 29 goals. He has also already found the back of the net five times in the Coppa Italia and twice in the Supercoppa Italiana. His overall seasonal total in all competitions is now a staggering 50 goals, and I can't help but wonder when this boy will stop scoring!"

"I don't think the boy will stop scoring," Tiziano Caressa declared. "He has all the confidence and momentum at this point. As long as he remains fit, there won't be anything to stop him from giving opponents hell and scoring more goals."

"Zachary's form has been significant in Juventus' conquest for glory this season," Fabio Crudeli said. "As we speak, Coach Max Allegri's men have already amassed a total of 80 points just after playing their 28th of the total 38 Serie A matches scheduled for this season. After their win today, they extended their lead over the second-placed AS Roma to 30 points. Of course, Roma has the opportunity to narrow the gap again when they face Cesena away from home tonight. But if the team from Rome happens to lose, Juventus would only need one more draw to win this year's Serie A title. We're witnessing a weird season where Juventus has dominated the league without losing even a single game."

"Let's keep our fingers crossed as we wait for AS Roma's away game against Cesena tonight at 8:45 PM," Tiziano Caressa said. "AS Roma will have to put up a commanding performance and win the game. Or else, they will risk handing the trophy to Juventus much earlier than expected..."

The commentators continued discussing the Italian Serie A as the fans, who had just watched the match, moved out of the stadium. The two men also talked about multiple topics, including the upcoming international break, the performances of other teams, and some gossip revolving around famous footballers playing in the Italian Serie A. They only stopped their chatter and departed from the commentator's booth right after the clock hands around Turin pointed to the 6:30 PM mark.

--

Chapter 548 After the Game

Zachary returned to the dressing room after going through the mandatory post-match interviews. He didn't spend much time conversing with his teammates but headed to the bathrooms, where he enjoyed a relaxing cold shower.

Fifteen minutes later, he emerged from the shower feeling refreshed. He changed into a brand-new Juventus tracksuit and then said his goodbyes to his teammates and coaches. As usual, a few players more familiar with him tried to invite him to the post-match victory celebrations in the city. He rejected them in the politest way he could think of before matching out of the locker room. He walked quickly with a slight swagger in his step and soon arrived at the parking lot reserved for the Juventus players.

More than two hours had elapsed since the end of the match between Juventus and Genoa, and the clock hands around Turin had already pointed to the seven o'clock mark. The sun had just descended below the horizon in the west, and the evening had begun to cast its dusky gown upon the city. But even then, the enthusiastic Juventus fans, who should have already headed home, were still camping around the parking lot. They stood beyond the barricades created by the security team, eager to catch brief glimpses of the players leaving the stadium.

"Zachary! We love you..."

"Zachary! Nice play today..."

"Zachary! An Autograph..."

A commotion broke out beyond the barricades of the parking lot as Zachary slowly made his way to his car. He, of course, waved back to the fans while smiling to acknowledge their support. However, he ignored all their requests for autographs.

Zachary was really exhausted after playing more than 90 minutes of intensive Serie A football. He couldn't spare any time for the fans, as all he could think about was to return home and begin his post-match recovery. Zachary also desired to enjoy a sumptuous home-cooked meal before heading to bed early. That way, he would be fresh and well-rested before traveling to Abidjan, Ivory Coast, the following evening.

"Boss! Congratulations upon yet another impressive performance."

A buff man with well-trimmed dark hair, prominent sideburns, and sharp blue eyes greeted Zachary as he approached his Audi RS 7. His name was Lorenzo Riccardo, and he was the bodyguard Zachary had hired about a month ago. On top of being skilled in both hand-to-hand and armed combat, the man was also proficient in many other areas. He had taken over from Angelo as Zachary's driver and was always acting as his shadow whenever he moved around Turin.

"Thanks, Lorenzo!" Zachary replied with a smile. "Let's get out of here. I really can't wait to reach home. I feel like I will collapse if I don't get some rest soon."

With that said, they both got into the car, and Lorenzo started the engine. With expert ease, he eased the car out of the parking spot, and a few minutes later, they were already moving through the lane heading away from the stadium.

As the car moved, the fans camping beyond the road continued yelling Zachary's name. He rolled down the window and waved at them. But that simple action sent them into more frenzy, and the bolder ones couldn't hold in their urge to rush towards the car.

Fortunately for Zachary, the stadium security did their job well and prevented the fans from blocking his departure away from the stadium. And since there were no obstructions, Lorenzo successfully guided the car into the main road and sped off towards Pinerolo, Turin, where Zachary's mansion was located.

After spending more than half a year in Turin, Zachary had already become familiar with all the sights along the road from the Juventus Stadium to his mansion. He turned away from the passing scenery beyond the car window and focused on his phone.

Leaning back into the car seat, he browsed the current sports news on his phone. He switched from page to page and ignored most of the information and gossip online until a certain headline caught his eye.

"Juventus to face off against Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals," the headline read. "Who will come out on top after this battle between football giants?"

Zachary was not surprised by the news of Juventus having to face off against Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals. He had followed the quarter-final draw on Friday and was aware of who would face whom in the next stage of the prestigious European competition.

Borussia Dortmund would face Monaco, Juventus would battle Real Madrid, Paris Saint Germain would take on Barcelona, and finally, FC Porto would play Bayern Munich. The respective teams would play away and home legs in their bids to qualify for that year's UEFA Champions League semi-finals.

Having already known about the Juventus vs. Real Madrid fixture, The author, who happened to go by the name Mitch Brown, wasn't so objective with his analysis of the two teams. He wrote about how Zachary turned his focus to the article comparing the two teams. At first, he was reading it eagerly, but after a few minutes, he creased his brows with displeasure.

The author, who happened to go by the name Mitch Brown, wasn't so objective with his analysis of the two teams. He wrote about how Juventus and Real Madrid were equal on most fronts, including squad depth, current form, team creativity, and so on and so forth. But when concluding the article, the writer mentioned something that displeased Zachary. He boldly declared that Juventus would lose to Real Madrid after the two quarter-final legs simply because the team from Turin lacked the rich experience the Spanish giants had already amassed playing at that stage of the Champions League.

Being a player who had already fallen in love with playing at Juventus, Zachary couldn't accept such a declaration. He just shook his head and switched to another article. But that was after vowing to prove Mitch Brown wrong when Juventus finally battled against Real Madrid. He would prepare adequately for the quarter-final that was less than a month away and do his all to help his team overcome Real Madrid.

"Bzzt Bzzzt! Bzzt Bzzzt!"

Zachary's phone vibrated and interrupted his browsing a few seconds later. On noticing that the call was from Eric Bailly, his former teammate on Rosenborg's team, he readily tapped the accept button and held the phone against his ear.

"What's up, Zachary?" Eric Bailly's voice sounded from the phone speaker. "How are you doing?"

"I'm doing okay," Zachary replied. "How about you?"

"Also doing okay," Eric said. "But by looking at the current sports news, I can confidently say I'm not doing as great as you. Your skills have evolved quickly, and you're scoring goals like nothing. Congrats, man!"

"Thanks." Zachary chuckled. "I have also been following the Premier League, and you're not doing bad yourself! You have already solidified your position as one of the main center-backs of Tottenham. I guess congrats are in order."

"Thanks!" Eric said from the other end of the line. "I can't fall behind after seeing you achieve all the success. I have been working hard to improve my skills."

"I'm glad to hear that," Zachary said. "As Coach Johansen used to say, the sky is the limit if we continue working hard. How's Kasongo, by the way?"

"He's doing fine. I thought you guys were in touch. Why are you asking me about him?"

"I think he decided to give me the cold shoulder after the news of my switching citizenship to Ivory Coast started circulating on the web. Sometimes, he doesn't pick up my calls. And when he does, he only complains about how I betrayed my homeland."

Eric Bailly chuckled. "That's Kasongo for you. He doesn't mince words when expressing his displeasure. But since you guys go back a long time, he should be able to accept your reasons for switching nationality if you talk to him." n0𝓋𝓮𝓁𝔲𝓈𝗯.𝔠0𝔪

"I hope that is the case."

"Well, that brings me to my reason for calling," Eric Bailly continued. "There's word going around that you'll join us in Abidjan for the friendlies against Angola and Equatorial Guinea."

"That's true. Of course, I can't ignore my first invite to the national football team."

"Excellent!" Eric Bailly said excitedly. "When do you plan to travel?"

"Tomorrow evening. My flight is scheduled to take off from Turin at 7:15 PM tomorrow. I should arrive in Abidjan at around 1:00 PM the day after."

"That's a long flight," Eric Bailly said. "I'm also traveling tomorrow evening. But I'll arrive in Abidjan much earlier than you. Let's link up when we get there. Since it is your first time in Côte d'Ivoire, I'm volunteering to be your guide. I'll show you around the place. What do you think?"

"No problem," Zachary said. "Let's link up after arriving in Abidjan. Even though I already have a guide, I will still rely on you to introduce you to my new teammates."

"Someone seems to be under pressure. Don't worry! Most of those on the Ivorian National Football team are eager to have you on the squad. They won't give you any hard time as you try to fit in."

"Then, that will be a relief," Zachary said. "I don't wish to butt heads with anyone just after joining the team."

"I don't think such a scenario will happen," Eric declared. "Just feel at ease. You'll get a warm welcome when you arrive in Abidjan. You'll even be overwhelmed by the fans and coaches willing to welcome you to the National Football team."

"Okay, Eric," Zachary said, choosing not to linger on the topic. "I'm just from playing a match. Let's end our conversation here so I can get some rest."

"Sure!" Eric said. "We'll have all the time to catch up when we meet in Abidjan the day after tomorrow. So, good night and see you soon."

"See you soon! Bye."

Zachary ended the call. Right then, he noticed that Lorenzo, his new bodyguard, was already easing the car into the driveway heading to his estate. He shoved the phone into his pocket and leaned back into his seat as they approached his mansion.

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Chapter 549 To Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire

Having eaten a sumptuous home-cooked dinner prepared by Inger, Zachary headed to his bedroom. He was soon in autopilot mode, packing his luggage for the following day's trip to Côte d'Ivoire, calling Emily Anderson, his agent, going through a relaxing therapeutic yoga routine, and washing up.

He finished everything he had planned to do by 8:30 PM and then made his way back to the living room. After picking a glass of water from the fridge, he settled into a sofa facing the TV screen to follow the game between Cesena and AS Roma, the second-placed team after Juventus on top of the Italian Serie A table.

That match that could determine whether Juventus would win the Serie A title much earlier than expected kicked off at 8:45 PM. AS Roma, which happened to be the team that wished to stop Juventus from widening the gap at the top of the table, was the first to settle down in the game.

Even at an away ground, the AS Roma players were daring enough to quickly array themselves in an attacking 4-3-3 formation before beginning their relentless assaults on Cesena, the home team. They combined long ball and wing play strategies to sustain pressure on the opponents during the opening stages. And finally, during the 41st minute, their efforts paid off, and they found a breakthrough. Daniele De Rossi, their captain and holding midfielder, gave them the lead after finding the back of the net with a left-footed shot from outside the box.

The score was then 1:0 in favor of AS Roma, the visiting team, and the game continued after a short spell of celebrations. The AS Roma players didn't continue risking to commit many bodies forward. Instead, they played it safe and settled into a 4-5-1 defensive formation to weather the attacks thrown at them by the visitors for the remainder of the game.

Their tenacity on the defensive end was commendable, and they worked like untiring maniacs to thwart all attempts at their goal. They eventually maintained their lead and won the game with a score of 1:0 after three minutes of injury time.

With that victory, the AS Roma players pushed their overall tally to 53 points after playing their 28th Serie A game of the season. Of course, a massive 27-point gap still existed between them and the flying Juventus team. But at least they had done all they could to stop the team from Turin from winning the title after the next Italian Serie A match day.

"Seems like AS Roma isn't willing to hand you the Serie A title on a silver platter," Coach Bjørn Peters, who had watched the match with Zachary, commented after the final whistle sounded. "You and your teammates will most likely have to toil for four more points before winning this year's trophy."

"I think that's much better for us as one of the biggest teams in Europe," Zachary said. "Instead of relying on others to hand us the domestic trophy, it's much more preferable that we toil for it and win it solely because of our efforts and skills. Achieving victory in such a manner will be much more satisfying than winning due to the inadequacy of our opponents."

"True," Coach Bjørn Peters agreed. Inclining his head to glance at Zachary, he asked, "You're setting off for Côte d'Ivoire tomorrow evening. Is that right?"

"Yes," Zachary answered.

"Are you traveling alone, or will you move with Lorenzo?"

"Lorenzo is my bodyguard. I have to travel with him to ensure my security. Aside from him, there will also be Kristin. She will help me handle some miscellaneous issues when we're in Côte d'Ivoire."

"That's a big entourage," Coach Bjørn Peters remarked. "But I like it. With Kristin and Lorenzo on your side, I won't have to worry about your security and health."

Zachary chuckled at that. He was already dozing at that point. So, he quickly ended the conversation after a minute or so and returned to his bedroom for the night.

Not having a girlfriend also had its perks. Zachary no longer had to talk on the phone for hours every night. He switched it off without any fear or favor and jumped into bed with the swiftness of an assassin. A minute later, he slowly started sinking into a relaxing slumber while anticipating his first trip to Ivory Coast.

--

The following evening.

The sun was setting, and the clock hands around Turin had just pointed to the 6:00 o'clock mark when Zachary set off for the airport together with his entourage of two. Lorenzo, the bodyguard dressed in black jeans with a matching black t-shirt, was in the driving seat, guiding the Audi RS 7 forward on the road heading to the airport. On the other hand, Kristin, Zachary's personal assistant, sat beside him in the back, updating him about what to look out for when they arrived in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.

"I talked to a friend of my dad working for the Norwegian Embassy in Abidjan," Kristin said. "Her advice for us was to remain extremely vigilant, particularly in the neighborhoods of Abobo, Adjamé, Treichville, Yopougon, and Attacoubé due to a high level of crime in those areas. She also warned me against moving about in the evening or during night hours since criminal activity escalates to unbearable levels after dusk. She also talked about the risk posed by demonstrations that could quickly turn violent at any time. Aside from that, she emphasized the need to watch out for the ever-present terrorist threats while in Abidjan..."

Kristin's speech was full of warnings. Her depiction made Côte d'Ivoire seem like 'some hell on earth' where robbers, thieves, terrorists, and prostitutes suffering from sexually transmitted diseases could jump on you any moment. It seemed she had done ample research, but that research only focused on the negatives to ensure their group remained safe during their short stay in Abidjan. n0𝔳𝓮𝓁𝑈𝗌𝗯.𝑐0𝓂

Zachary listened to her attentively but still chose to internalize her warnings with a pinch of salt. As a person who had already lived in both Europe and the DRC, he had long understood that the perceptions of most Europeans toward African countries could be prejudiced at times. Of course, Zachary knew that criminal activities existed in Côte d'Ivoire, but they shouldn't be as exaggerated as those portrayed by European media. As such, security wasn't one of his main worries as he traveled to Abidjan.

"Did you manage to book us a hotel?" Zachary asked when Kristin finished her address.

"There was no need for me to book one as Mr. Omar Sangare had already reserved a hotel for us," Kristin said. "Let me see... The one he reserved is called Hôtel Ivoire, and from what I have seen on the internet, it's probably the best in the country."

"Oh! Then, that's good," Zachary said with a smile. "Mr. Sangare is already doing a good job as our guide even before we arrive."

"Yes, he's really meticulous," Kristin agreed. "He has already sent over a schedule listing all the to-do activities while we are in Ivory Coast. On the list, there are training sessions with Côte d'Ivoire's National Football team, press conferences, two dinners, and meetings with Ivorian football executives. If you are to go by his plan, you won't have any time to rest when we arrive in Ivory Coast."

"Of course, I won't be attending all those activities," Zachary said with a shake of his head. "I'm in Ivory Coast mainly to play football. So, aside from the training sessions and mandatory press conferences, send a message to Mr. Sangare and reject all the other activities on the schedule. Do it now, before we arrive at the airport."

"Okay." Kristin nodded. "I'll send Mr. Sangare a message right away."

As they conversed, Lorenzo navigated the traffic, and forty minutes later, they finally arrived at the airport. After finding safe parking for their vehicle, they entered the airport with their suitcases. Without drawing much attention to themselves, they quickly went through airport procedures before heading to the departure gate.

After a short wait of about fifteen minutes, they boarded the plane and settled into their first-class seats. Before long, they heard the pre-flight safety announcements, and just after a few more minutes, the plane took off from the runway and soared into the skies. It would make one stop-over in Casablanca before continuing its long flight to Abidjan.

--

The following day, at around 1:00 PM, the plane touched down on the runway of the Félix-Houphouët-Boigny International Airport in Abidjan. After a few seconds of smooth braking by the pilots, it came to a halt close to the end of the runway.

Zachary and his entourage followed the other passengers to exit the plane. He had already donned a wide-brimmed sun hat and a pair of oversized retro-shades to conceal his face. No one recognized that he was a famous footballer, and he looked like any other Côte d'Ivoire citizen returning from abroad with two European friends as he descended the airstair. Together with Kristin and Lorenzo, they dodged most of the commotion and quickly headed toward the airport's arrivals section.

"Zachary! You're finally here. Welcome to Abidjan."

A tall African man with pronounced cheekbones, a bald head, and an oversized goatee greeted them at the arrivals gate. Before Zachary could ask who the person was, the man pulled them to one side of the hallway and continued, "I'm Omar Sangare. We have been communicating on the phone."

"Oh, Omar Sangare!" Zachary exclaimed, a light bulb going on in his mind. "It's nice to meet you in the flesh, Mr. Sangare. Thanks for making time to welcome us."

"It's my duty," Mr. Sangare said and then shook hands with Kristin and Lorenzo. Then after asking how their trip had been, he went straight to the point, "Let's not waste much time here. I'll help you to go through the airport procedures quickly before transporting you to your hotel."

Mr. Sangare was very prudent and didn't take up much of their time with pointless small talk. He aided them through all the airport and immigration procedures in a record time of about a dozen minutes before leading them to the luggage claim hall. With his help, Zachary and company didn't face any challenges, and in just a few minutes, they walked out with their suitcases in tow. They then headed towards the airport exit while conversing among themselves.

"Many football officials, journalists, and fans have been anticipating the arrival of the footballers on the National Football team," Mr. Omar Sangare said. "We intend to organize a small gathering today so they can interact with the players who have just returned. Most of your new teammates, including Yaya Touré, Gervinho, Max Gradel, Wilfried Bony, Eric Bailly, and Ousmane Viera, will all be present. Are you sure you don't wish to join the fun?"

"I think I should rest for today," Zachary said resolutely. "I have been traveling since yesterday. I must give my body ample time to recover before I attend training tomorrow. So, I'm sorry, but I can't join the gathering."

"That's okay," Mr. Sangare said with a regretful sigh. "Making ample preparations for our games against Angola and Equatorial Guinea take priority over everything else. So, forget that I asked."

Zachary nodded and decided to change the topic. "In the schedule sent to us, you mentioned that the National Football team training begins at 9:00 AM tomorrow. If I remember correctly, the venue for the training should be an Abidjan-M'pouto training complex. Is that right?"

"Yes, that's the venue," Mr. Sangare replied. "It's a training complex that belongs to ASEC Mimosas, one of the biggest football clubs in Ivory Coast. You don't have to worry about not finding directions to the facility. I will personally guide you there tomorrow morning."

"Then, thanks in advance," Zachary replied.

While talking, they continued traversing the airport hallways leading to the exit. Mr. Sangare guided them through VIP sections rarely used by other passengers, and they were out of the airport facility in no time. Without drawing much attention to themselves, they boarded the already waiting convoy of cars and headed to the grand Hôtel Ivoire, where Zachary and co spent the night.

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Chapter 550 SS-Grade Core Strength

The first rays of sunlight lit up Zachary's hotel room the following morning. He rubbed his still-bleary eyes before jumping out of bed and walking to the window. Inclining his head, he noticed that the sky was clear, without any blemishes of dark clouds. The weather in Abidjan seemed perfect that day, and he didn't have to worry about the possibility of rain drenching him as he went through his first training with the National Football team.

With a calm mind, he quickly turned away from the window. His gaze passed over the lavish furniture and bedding in his hotel room as he walked towards the bathroom. He washed his face, and a few minutes later, he settled down on the woolen carpet and started going through his morning yoga routine.

He performed pose after pose with the resoluteness of a monk and slowly felt his muscles stretch and relax. Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead and dampened his shirt after about forty minutes of a fast-paced full-body power yoga workout. He felt a bit lightheaded, and at that moment, he knew that he was almost hitting his limit.

Yoga was an activity that could burn calories and tone muscles. It was also a total mind-body workout that combined strengthening and stretching poses with deep breathing and meditation or relaxation. For footballers, in particular, consistent yoga practice could gradually increase their flexibility, range of motion, and core strength.

Zachary, who happened to have remained an ardent practitioner of all kinds of yoga for years, felt he was on a precipice of crossing a threshold that morning. He hardened his heart and continued performing pose after pose of fast-paced power yoga until he felt like he had shattered through a barrier within his body.

At that moment, he seemed to have transcended to a higher level of life. A blissful sensation immediately washed across his entire body, and he could have sworn that he felt his skin pores opening and closing to take in some mystical energy. He took a deep breath that allowed him to return from the euphoric moment, and that was when he realized that a system notification had just sounded in his mind.

"DING"

"Congratulations!" The system AI's voice was as crisp and clear as ever in Zachary's mind. "The user has completed a hidden system mission by shattering through the barriers of muscle power and attaining SS-grade core strength mainly through consistent training efforts. As a token of support, the system has rewarded 20,000 Juju points to the user for accomplishing the feat. Please, continue working hard and attain more breakthroughs without relying on the system elixirs."

"Ehh..." Zachary's eyes widened with surprise. He had only been going through his usual morning power yoga routine as a warm-up before attending his first training session with the Ivorian National Football team. But just out of the blue, he had made a breakthrough and achieved SS-grade core strength. Moreover, that was through his own efforts without consuming a system elixir.

Thinking about the entire series of events, Zachary felt like he had just won the lottery after picking up a discarded ticket from the sidewalk. He stood up and flexed his muscles, and it was then that a sheepish smile outlined his face.

Two months back, during the Christmas break, most of his ball skills, plus agility, and body coordination attributes had all broken through to the SS grading. And now, just before he could attend his first training with the Ivorian National Football team, one of his other fitness attributes had also evolved to the same SS grade. He was developing fast as a player, and he had a gut feeling that if he could persist with his consistent training routines that covered all areas important to a professional footballer, he would continue making more breakthroughs soon.

"System!" Zachary called out in his mind. "Show me my current physical fitness and soccer technique attributes."

"DING"

"Command received. The breakdown for the user's physical fitness and soccer technique attributes will be coming up shortly."

Zachary smiled after hearing the system AI's response. He took a deep breath to calm himself down and focused on the crystal-like translucent display that had just manifested before him.

USER STATS

--

-Physical Fitness (Av. Rating: SS)

Balance and Coordination: SS

Agility: SS

Strength: SS

Stamina: S

Endurance Points: 17,500/18,000 (S)

--

-Soccer Technique: [Av. Rating: SS]

Ball Control: SS

Dribbling Skills: SS

Passing Accuracy: SS

Body Control: SS

--

"Sweet!"

Zachary's spirits brightened even further as he glanced through his physical fitness stats. Only his Stamina and endurance were yet to break through to the SS grading. If they could also shatter the limit to the next grade, he would evolve into a terrifyingly well-balanced monster of a player. He would attain a body packed with several abilities and perks that could cause envy to even the most talented footballers of the generation.

From what he had figured out after constantly utilizing the system's snooping tool, most other professional footballers possessed physical strength at the S-grading. And if their core strength went beyond the norm, it would only be at the SS grade.

For instance, Giorgio Chiellini, the Juventus center-back dubbed by many as the gladiator due to his impressive power on the pitch, only possessed strength at SS grade according to the system's snooping tool. Of course, there might be SSS-grade strength abnormalities, such as The Hulk, Mamadou Sakho, Julio Baptista, Adebayo Akinfenwa, Yaya Touré, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, among a few others in the world of football. But their numbers on the professional football scene were minuscule for plain-to-see reasons.

If a person had such muscle power, graded at SSS, why wouldn't he go for boxing, weight lifting, or wrestling, where he would be the king with minimal training? Or better yet, why wouldn't he go for rugby or American football, the other sports with many positions that relied on impressive strength?

Why would such a person join football and allow himself to be constantly bullied by lean and weaker players like Lionel Messi and Arjen Robben, who could render his exceptional strength worthless by relying on their agility and potent dribbling skills?

Zachary was obviously not born with innate strength. He was just a player who had relied on the system and its potent elixirs, coupled with his rigorous training, to grow all his physical attributes to the S-grading and beyond. As such, his physical fitness stats were all well-balanced and not like those of innately strong players who would possess SSS-grade core strength but with other attributes that couldn't even make it past the A-grade threshold.

Moreover, Zachary's physique didn't grow buff as his attributes evolved, maybe due to the system's interference or the effect of its elixirs. Even after breaking through the SS-grade core strength threshold, he stayed the same 6'4 lean player with impressive SS-grade agility and matching body coordination. His muscles were, without a doubt, well streamlined due to his consistent training and the power contained in his body, but they were not as buff as those of heavy-weight boxers, weight lifters, and rugby players. As such, opponents would never know the astonishing depth of his strength until they experienced it personally.

"Bzzt Bzzzt! Bzzt Bzzzt!"

Zachary's phone vibrated from the nearby table as he was still caught up in his euphoria. Picking it up, he realized that the call was from Kristin. He tapped the accept button and held the phone against his ear.

"Kristin, good morning," he said.

"Good morning to you too, Zachary," Kristin replied from the other end of the line. "It's already 7:40 AM. Mr. Sangare will arrive shortly to take you to the Ivorian National Football team's training venue. You should hurry and come down to take breakfast before he reaches here."

"Okay, thanks for reminding me," Zachary said. "I'll be down in fifteen minutes. See you in a bit."

With that, Zachary ended the call. He washed up quickly in a record time of about six minutes before brushing his teeth and donning a brand-new tracksuit. Then, after arranging his messy braids and tying them into a ponytail, he exited his room, ready to rush down the stairs and towards the dining area for breakfast.

But just after taking a few more steps, he got a scare of his life. His heart skipped a beat just as he was about to collide with a silhouette just a few paces from his doorway. It was Lorenzo, Zachary's new bodyguard, and judging by the red eyes, Zachary could tell that the man must not have slept even a wink the entire night.

"Lorenzo!" Zachary regarded his new bodyguard with a weird expression. "I thought we agreed that you didn't have to camp out of my room throughout the night. Why are you here and not down in the restaurant having breakfast?"

"Boss!" Lorenzo Riccardo said with a sigh. "I chanced upon some new information while enjoying a late snuck downstairs in the bar. I heard that about two years back, Didier Drogba was robbed while staying in this very hotel. I couldn't rest at ease knowing the same incident could happen to you. So, I decided to guard the door myself until morning."

"Oh! There was such an incident." Zachary was surprised. The hotel he was in was one of the best in the country. It was the pre-eminent symbol of Abidjan's post-colonial 1960s architectural heyday, with a grand feel and atmosphere reminiscent of the palaces of old about it. Moreover, it usually hosted many dignitaries that visited Côte d'Ivoire, and numerous security units usually kept watch around its premises. So, how could a robbery incident happen in such a hotel?

"Boss!" Lorenzo said. "After hearing the rumors, I did some research. From some past web articles, I confirmed that the incident really happened." n0𝑣𝓮𝗅𝗎𝗌𝐛.𝒞0𝑚

"Oh, okay," Zachary said with a nod. "Thanks for your hard work, then. But since you didn't sleep at night, how will you manage to stay awake during the day?"

"Don't worry about me, boss," Lorenzo said with a smile. "I'll squeeze in a few hours of sleep while you're undergoing training. That should be enough for me."

"Okay." Zachary nodded and decided to inquire no further. "I'm almost running late. If there's nothing holding you back, let's head down and have a quick breakfast before heading to the training ground."

"Okay, boss," Lorenzo answered. "Let's go."

--


The Greatest of all Time #Chapter 551 The International Aspect of Football - Read The Greatest of all Time Chapter 551 The International Aspect of Football Online - All Page - Novel Usb

Chapter 551 The International Aspect of Football

As planned, Mr. Omar Sangare picked Zachary up immediately after breakfast. The clock hands around Abidjan had just pointed to the 8:10 o'clock mark when they drove out of the gates of Hôtel Ivoire and joined the busy streets of Côte d'Ivoire's largest city that doubled as the economic capital.

Mr. Omar Sangare's car was a Toyota Landcruiser. Lorenzo, the bodyguard, sat in the front seat beside Sangare, the driver. As for Zachary, he had made himself comfortable in the back seat of the spacious vehicle.

While conversing among themselves, the car moved quickly, and they passed by many high-rise buildings, large shopping malls, two bridges, and an extensive golf course. Then, after cutting two final corners, they eventually arrived at the Abidjan-M'pouto training complex, which was the venue for the Ivorian National Football Team training that day.

After finding a parking spot, Zachary said his goodbyes to Lorenzo and walked into the training facility with Mr. Omar Sangare. The complex was well-maintained, with clean walkways and extensive gardens adorned by meticulously mowed natural grass.

Zachary followed Mr. Sangare along one of the walkways. They passed by a few of the facility's staff maintaining the gardens and finally arrived at a two-story building that housed the offices and conference area. They walked into the building and stopped before a door.

On the door, there was a plaque with the words conference room. Mr. Sangare knocked once on the door before pushing it open and stepping forward into the room.

Zachary followed him inside, and his eyes immediately landed on three men in orange and green tracksuits. They were seated around a long table, and it seemed they had been in the middle of a serious discussion.

The man seated closest to the door was all too familiar to Zachary. He was Yaya Touré, the captain of Côte d'Ivoire's National Football team and a Manchester City legend. The second man was someone Zachary had only gotten to know recently after deciding to switch his international football allegiance. He was Hervé Renard, Côte d'Ivoire's National Football coach, who had just helped them win the African Cup of Nations a few months prior. As for the third man, who sat at the far end of the table, Zachary didn't recognize him.

"Zachary! Let me introduce these fellows to you," Mr. Omar Sangare spoke in French as they walked into the room. "I guess you already know Yaya Touré and Hervé Renard. They are your captain and coach. As for the gentleman at the far end, he is Sidy Diallo, the Ivory Coast Football Federation president." Omar then turned to the three and continued in a formal tone, "Gentlemen! This one here is Zachary Bemba in the flesh. He's here to report for National team duty."

Yaya Touré chuckled at that and got up from his seat. Extending his hand to Zachary, he said, "Zachary Bemba! The wonderboy and number 10 of Juventus! I have heard a lot of good things about you. Welcome to the Ivory Coast National Football Team."

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Zachary smiled and took the hand for a firm handshake. "Thank you, Mr. Yaya Touré. I have also heard a lot of incredible things about you. It's really an honor to make your acquaintance."

"Is that so?" Yaya Touré smiled.

"Indeed!" Zachary smiled back. He had the utmost respect for the Ivorian midfielder, who happened to be one of the most underrated playmakers of the generation. Zachary was really looking forward to teaming up with him on the national football team. He also hoped that Yaya Touré's career wouldn't follow his previous life's trajectory, which saw the midfielder retire from international football before the 2018 World Cup.

"I have a feeling that we might just be good teammates," Yaya Touré said while releasing Zachary's hand.

"I have the same feeling," Zachary said before turning to the other two gentlemen. He followed the same etiquette and exchanged greetings with both the Ivory Coast Football Federation president and Hervé Renard, the coach. Then, after some more small talk, they settled around the table and started discussing the important stuff.

"So, Zachary!" Sidy Diallo, the Ivory Coast Football Federation president, breached the topic of Zachary's nationality switch. "What are your goals for joining the Ivory Coast National Football Team? What do you hope to achieve?"

Zachary smiled and replied with confidence, "My goal is simple. I wish to work with everyone on the team to win and continue winning. With my skills, I hope to contribute positively to all endeavors of our national team. Hopefully, with my addition, we can become a team that can overcome all opponents to achieve big things in upcoming World Cup tournaments."

"Those are lofty goals," the Ivory Coast Football Federation president remarked. "But I like them. Once again, welcome to the National Football team again. We'll discuss more later. But now, let me first leave you in the hands of your captain and coach."

"Thank you," Zachary replied.

The president nodded and said a few words to Hervé Renard, the coach. Then, after saying his goodbyes to everyone, he walked out of the conference room with Mr. Sangare, who had been quiet for a few minutes.

"Well..." Coach Hervé Renard said. "Since the outsiders have left, let's get down to team business. Zachary! You're new on the team. So, I'll briefly introduce to you how we usually go about our training before international games. First and foremost, let me bring to your attention that training approaches for international football are vastly different from club football due to the limited time teams have before games."

"For instance, we'll play Angola tomorrow and Equatorial Guinea three days later, on March 29th. That leaves us with only a day of training before the first match and only two before the second if we're to squeeze in the one day of recovery after the first game."

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"As you can see, we have fewer days to train as a team and learn away from the pitch with coaches and teammates. Due to the limited training time, establishing a stable game plan becomes significantly more challenging. How do we overcome this, though? We focus only on the crucial elements of the game, including the tactics, the player roles on the squad, and the dynamics of our playing formation. We utilize our limited time to refine those crucial aspects so that we can refine our chemistry as a team and put up a decent performance. As for squad selection, we usually base it on the recent performances at the club level and a player's readiness to adapt to our game plan. That implies that you'll always have a high chance of being considered for the starting line-up if you continue putting up consistent and impressive performances for your club. Are we together, Zachary?"

"Yes, coach," Zachary replied.

"Good." Coach Hervé Renard smiled and glanced at his watch. "It's already coming to a quarter past nine. The others should have arrived. Let's wind up here and head to the tactics room for our pre-match tactics meeting. Touré! You can take Zachary to meet his new teammates before we begin official business. I'll be there in a few minutes with the other coaches."

"Okay, coach," Yaya Touré responded and turned to Zachary. "Zachary! Let's go. The others should already be waiting in the tactics room."

Zachary nodded and followed Yaya Touré out of the conference room. They walked quickly while conversing and finally arrived at the tactics room, where Zachary met up with his new teammates.

Players like Eric Bailly, Gervinho, Max Gradel, Wilfried Bony, and many others were in the room. They didn't put up any airs but welcomed Zachary warmly to the team.

After briefly interacting with his new teammates, Zachary was even more delighted with his decision to join Ivory Coast's National Football team. As such, he was in high spirits when the tactics meeting commenced. He listened attentively as Hervé Renard introduced the game plan for the game against Angola.

The coach went straight to the point with his address. He talked about how the team would utilize a 3-4-3 formation for the game and emphasized the need to take a safe approach while on the pitch. Then, after about an hour of explaining the tactics and game plan, he finally ended his speech by reading out the starting eleven that would feature in the game.

Except for the missing Kolo Touré, who happened to have just announced his retirement from international football, the line-up didn't vary from the one that won the African Cup of Nations final two months prior. Boubacar Barry was in goal, the four players - Eric Bailly, Wilfried Kanon, and Simon Deli were in defense, while Serge Aurier, Serey Dié, Yaya Touré, and Siaka Tiéné were in midfield. Finally, the coach named Max Gradel, Wilfried Bony, and Gervinho as the three strikers to complete Ivory Coast's 3-4-3 formation.

As for Zachary, who had just joined the team, he was left out of the starting squad for obvious reasons. Like in all football teams, it didn't matter whether a player was a superstar, but he had to earn his place by putting up impressive displays for any given team before joining that team's starting eleven. Zachary was in the same situation. He would start on the bench for the game against Angola. Nevertheless, if he came into the game and impressed, the coach would not hesitate to select him as one of the starters for Ivory Coast's following match against Equatorial Guinea. That was just how football worked since it was a team sport. n0𝑣𝔢𝐋𝓊𝑆𝕓.𝑪0𝕞

After reading the line-up, Coach Hervé Renard didn't continue wasting time with meaningless talk. He led the players to the training turfs, where they spent the next few hours working on the tactics for the game against Angola. They focused on the individual roles of each player in the game plan and then refined their set-piece plays during the later stages of training. They ended the session at around 4:00 PM in the evening, and with that, the coach sent them back to their respective places of residence.

Zachary didn't return to his residence, though. After leaving the training facility, he linked up with Eric Bailly, his former teammate, who gave him a brief tour of Abidjan. They then ate dinner together while catching up before parting at around 8:00 PM to head back to their respective hotel rooms for the night.

On returning to his hotel room, Zachary followed his customary practice and went through a pre-bedtime yoga routine. Finally, after ensuring that he had stretched all his crucial muscle groups in a proper manner, he washed up quickly and then went to bed.

He had completed all his preparations, and what remained was to wait for the following day to arrive. If all went according to plan, he would debut for Ivory Coast as a substitute and kick-start the international aspect of his football career.

--

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Chapter 552 International Debut I

Thursday, March 26th, 2015

Stade Félix-Houphouët-Boigny, Abidjan, Ivory Coast.

Time 7:59 PM

The kick-off time for the friendly game between Ivory Coast and Angola was only a few seconds away, and more than 45,000 enthusiastic Ivorian fans had already filled up every nook and cranny of the stadium.

Some fans were already singing famous Ivorian football chants while others were hammering drums, jerricans, buckets, or any other improvised excuse of the instruments they could get their hands on. There were also those blowing vuvuzelas like mad and a few others in weird costumes who continued dancing to the beat of the reverberating drums within the stadium.

All in all, the excitement was already soaring to the skies as the kick-off time drew near, and there seemed to be a magic spell cast upon the stadium. The voices, vuvuzelas, dances, and whatever else the supporters were doing all blended together to form a weirdly beautiful and chaotic ensemble. And then, the resulting chorus abruptly rose in volume and hit a thunderous crescendo when the clock hands around Abidjan pointed to the 8:00 PM mark.

FWEEEEEEE*

The referee blew the whistle, and the friendly game between Ivory Coast and Angola commenced.

The opening fifteen minutes were uneventful as players of both teams struggled to find their rhythm. The football on display was anything but neat, especially since there were several players making blind passes and a few others who tried out dribbles but failed to beat their opponents. And without organization, the two teams could neither settle into the game nor create meaningful chances during the opening stages.

But, of course, there were always a few players who would perform above the norm even when their teams were performing below par. Yaya Touré was such a player, and he abruptly came alive during the 23rd minute.

After intercepting a loose pass from one of the Angola midfielders, Yaya Touré drove forward like a Ferrari driver on a formula one race track. He skipped past two opponents with a swift change of pace before threading a pass to find Gervinho, one of the three strikers.

Gervinho, on his part, cut in from the left side of the pitch and linked up with the ball from Yaya Touré. His speed was like the wind, and a few more strides allowed him to step into the box. He squared his body and unleashed a curling shot goalward, hoping to catch the keeper off-guard and find the inside of the far post.

However, Gervinho's luck was on the low side that evening. Landú Mavanga, the Angola keeper, by some miracle, managed to get his fingertips on the ball. The shot-stopper pushed the shot away from its intended trajectory, and the ball bounced out of play for a corner kick.

FWEEEEEEE*

The referee blew the whistle, and the Ivory Coast players took the corner kick shot. Gervinho quickly flicked the ball to Serey Dié, who, in turn, unleashed a teasing cross toward the already crowded Angola box.

It was a clear chance for the Ivorians to take the lead, and the players in orange jerseys went into action. They battled the Angola players for aerial superiority as they tried to connect with the incoming corner ball.

But at the end of it all, Eric Bailly, the Ivorian center-back, came out on top. He relied on his impressive jumping power to tower over his marker and guide the ball toward the goal. His heading technique was outstanding, and he effortlessly beat the keeper to score Ivory Coast's 1st goal during the 24th minute.

The game was then 1:0 in favor of Ivory Coast, and the home fans turned more frenzied. They sang, drummed, and cheered like crazy as the players celebrated the goal.

A minute or so later, the game recommenced. The Ivorians, who had just scored a goal, finally settled in the game. Their passes became more uncluttered, and they started hoarding the ball possession.

But even then, the attacking aspect of their game was still lacking, and they couldn't create any other meaningful chances. They had no shots on target for the rest of the half, and as such, the score remained 1:0 until they matched out of the pitch for the half-time break.

After the break, the same situation continued. The Ivorian players continued dictating the tempo with their neat passing. But they were still not attempting to make those teasing forward passes that could break down Angola's defense. n0𝑣𝑬𝓵𝗎𝓈𝔟.𝑐0𝔪

They just continued moving the ball from defense, then to the midfield, and back to their defenders repeatedly without showing --

the intent to launch any attack. It was as if they were already satisfied with their 1:0 score, and because of that, they weren't willing to take any risk and commit bodies forward.

--

Hervé Renard, the Ivory Coast coach, couldn't feel at ease with the situation on the pitch. His tension was mounting as his players had started showing a clear lack of drive and passion to push forward and attack. Moreover, due to their laxity, they were slowly but surely inviting trouble by allowing the Angola players to settle into the game.

As an experienced coach, Hervé Renard understood that permitting such a situation to continue was akin to playing with fire. With how the game was going, maybe it wouldn't be long before the opponents started creating their own chances. And with that in mind, the coach decided to turn to his bench to revitalize his team by making a few substitutes.

"Zachary Bemba! Salomon Kalou!" He called out to the two players. "Start warming up. I want you on the pitch in five."

"Yes, coach," the two players replied in unison. They then changed into their bibbs and took off to go through warm-up routines on the sidelines.

--

During the 57th minute, the ball went out of play for a throw-in, and the Ivorians finally made their two substitutions. Zachary substituted Siaka Tiéné, a midfielder, while Salomon Kalou replaced Max Gradel, one of the forwards. Immediately after that, the whistle sounded, and the game restarted.

Zachary adapted quickly after stepping onto the pitch. He settled into his midfield role and started playing simple but neat football.

As he was new to the team, he didn't do anything extravagant, like taking on the entire defense with his dribbling. Instead, he stuck to the basics of passing, giving, and going to help his team stabilize the situation on the field of play.

His playing style was none-contact football that day. He would run into an unmarked pocket of space and receive the ball. And before any opponent could approach his vicinity, he would thread a pass to a teammate in a strategic position. Everything about him on the field of play was tidy, and he didn't draw any foul or an aerial duel from an opponent for minutes.

As more minutes passed, he slowly but steadily grew into the game. His ball skills and high game intelligence gradually came into play as he made more touches on the ball. His movements became sharper, and he started exchanging lightning-fast one-twos with Yaya Touré and the other Ivorian midfielders. His impressive use of the spaces allowed his teammates to regain their wits, and they slowly began to look sharper on the attack.

Zachary, though, remained patient and continued sticking to his none-contact football style. He continued floating around the midfield like an assassin waiting for a chance to go in for a kill. Then, finally, during the 81st minute, he found the perfect opportunity to break through.

A misplaced pass from an Angola defender saw the ball float into an unmarked pocket of space close to the final third. Zachary, who happened to be nearby, immediately pounced forward with the agility of a predator going in for the kill.

His long strides nibbled up yards of space like nothing, and he reached the loose ball in a short span of a few seconds. He controlled it midstride and then executed a Marseille turn to skip past an approaching opponent.

His movements on the turn were elegant and refined, like those of a true-blue gentleman dancing with a fair lady. But those graceful motions still rendered the opponent totally helpless and left the pitiful guy crying for his mama.

Zachary finally completed his 360-degree turn and left the opponent in the dust with the swagger of a ball wizard. His SS-grade spatial awareness and risk analysis worked like a charm at that moment, and with a single glance forward, he assessed the situation between him and the goal.

At that same exact instant, something within Zachary's mind tingled, and his long-refined football instincts took over. He tightened his core and drew his leg back before swinging it down and hard like a whip.

His SS-grade body control allowed him to utilize his newly-enhanced SS core strength like a grandmaster. He followed through with his swinging motion and smashed the ball goalward with all the leg power he could muster.

"BAM!"

His boot connected with the ball with a bang. However, it didn't rise but just barely skimmed over the grass while darting toward the goal with the swiftness of a lightning bolt.

Before Landú Mavanga, the Angola keeper, could react and initiate any movement whatsoever, the ball flickered past him like a bullet. And within anything but an instant, it smashed off the post with a bang and homed into the back of the net.

--

Chapter 553 International Debut II

"GOAAAL..."

Zachary raced to the corner flag as the cheers around the stadium exploded to almost unimaginable levels. Happiness glowed inside him as he had just scored a monumental goal on his debut day for the national team. His mood continued elevating as the Ivorian fans sang his name, and he finally slid on his knees for a good few meters to celebrate.

Of course, the other Ivorian players couldn't stop their urge to join the celebrations. They quickly gathered around the corner flag and started hugging and congratulating Zachary.

Zachary noted that the smiles and words from his teammates were genuine and really from their hearts. It seemed they had totally accepted him as a teammate after he showcased his abilities on the field of play. As such, the stares they directed at him contained that boundless respect deserving of a world-class footballer that could rival once-in-a-generation talents.

"Nice goal!" Yaya Touré patted Zachary's back as the celebrations were about to end. "But I have to confirm something with you. Were you really intending to go for a Daisy Cutter shot from outside the box when you were going for the goal? Or was the shot just a lucky effort born from an accident?"

Zachary smiled on hearing Yaya Touré's question. A Daisy Cutter in football was a shot similar to what Zachary had just utilized to score the 2nd goal for Ivory Coast. It would skim the ground at high speed while heading for the back of the net.

"Guess!" Zachary said to Yaya Touré.

Yaya Touré grinned. "Impressive! You intended to unleash such a shot from the get-go. Don't tell me you're also a master of high-powered and accurate Daisy Cutters from outside the box?"

"I can't say I'm a master," Zachary responded. "I'm just a player who practices my shooting a lot. That allows me to perform at my best during crucial game moments."

"Well..." Yaya Touré said. "I'm glad that you have joined our team. Let's head back into the pitch for the game."

"Okay..." Zachary agreed. He bowed to the fans to thank them for their support and then headed back to the middle of the pitch.

--

Within the technical area, Coach Hervé Renard's mood was a bit complicated. With his experience, he understood how difficult it was to join a new team and continue performing at one's best. But Zachary had just done 'exactly' that and performed impressively on his debut for his national team.

The boy wonder took only a short while to make his presence known after stepping onto the pitch as a substitute during the 57th minute. Through his brilliant utilization of space, he quickly settled into his role and resolved Ivory Coast's tricky midfield situation. But he didn't just stop at that. Minutes later, the young playmaker came alive again with a dazzling show of dribbling skills. He beat an opponent with an elegant Marseille turn before going for the spectacular and scoring Ivory Coasts' 2nd goal during the 82nd minute.

Judging from the way Zachary handled himself right before going for the goal, Coach Hervé Renard could tell that the boy was the real deal. He was a player with well-balanced physical fitness, incredible ball skills, and an insane level of composure during crucial moments. He was the sort of player that could determine the game's outcome with just a few seconds of brilliance.

Coach Hervé Renard could feel his hopes soar to the heavens after such a player joined his side. He had been entertaining the thought of resigning from his position as head coach of Ivory Coast so as to accept an offer from the top-division French side - Lille. But after getting to experience for himself how monstrous his new player could be, the coach cast out all such notions from his mind. He immediately resolved to stay with the Ivorian National Football team.

"With Zachary Bemba joining us, maybe this team can finally achieve big things during upcoming football matches. Qualifying for the next AFCON and then the 2018 World Cup will not be difficult."

Optimistic thoughts passed through the coach's mind. He took a deep breath and continued following the proceedings on the field of play.

--

The game had just restarted with an Angola kick-off. The Angola players were moving the ball among themselves on their side of the pitch. They played short and straightforward passes as they tried to stretch the Ivory Coast team shape.

But just as they were beginning to get comfortable, the high press from the Ivorians arrived abruptly. The first to go into action were Gervinho, Salomon Kalou, and Wilfried Bony, the three forwards. The three men ran at the Angola defenders as if their lives were on the line, and it wasn't long before they forced an error.

The powerful, energetic, and highly agile Gervinho was the forward that finally got lucky during his high-pressing endeavor. He zeroed in on an Angola right back with boundless momentum, forcing the helpless defender to panic and try to play a long ball forward.

However, due to the pressure from Gervinho, the clearance from the defender was anything but tidy. Instead of kicking the ball high and far toward Ivory Coast's side of the pitch, the man hammered it hurriedly and sent it straight to the area just before the border of the final third, where Zachary was lurking.

Zachary, who had been marking the space in the middle, was surprised when he saw the ball from the defender approaching his position. However, no matter how astonished he was, his reactions remained extremely swift.

He rushed forward like the wind and quickly controlled the flying ball with his chest. At that same instant, his spatial awareness worked its magic, and he mapped the positions of all teammates ahead of him within his mind.

The next moment, the gears in his highly-powered mindscape whirled and turned before falling into place. Something seemed to click within him, and his incredible football instincts took over. As the ball descended to the ground, he kicked it forward first-time and sent it back toward Gervinho, the Ivorian striker who had just forced an error.

Instant through-pass!

Everything happened almost in an instant. The defender who had made the error had not even settled down when he saw the ball flying back toward his side from a tricky angle. Before he could align his posture and intercept the ball, a highly agile figure in an orange jersey beat him to it.

Of course, it was Gervinho in action. The striker connected with Zachary's first-time teasing ball with a swiftness of a predator hunting its prey. He prodded it forward and skipped past the defender who had initially made the error. Then, before any of the other Angola defenders could react, Gervinho squared his body and dinked the ball over the approaching keeper to score Ivory Coast's third goal for the night during the 86th minute.

--

Ivory Coast 3 : Angola 0

-- n0𝔳𝖊𝑙𝑈𝓈𝗯.𝔠0𝓜

The cheers around the stadium hit another thunderous peak after the ball homed into the back of the net. The fans were really excited by their team's performance against Angola. They didn't stop singing, dancing, and jubilating for minutes.

Meanwhile, the game restarted again while the fans were still celebrating. The Angola players, who had just conceded a goal, seemed to lose all morale and motivation. Their wits were at an all-time low, and they committed more errors, which invited more trouble to themselves during the game's final minutes.

The Ivorians, who had already gained all the momentum, couldn't let go of the opportunity to destroy their opponents. They high-pressed the Angola players and forced even more errors. Eventually, their efforts paid off during the 92nd minute when Yaya Touré intercepted another loose ball just outside the box and hammered it home into the top right corner to score Ivory Coast's 4th goal for the night.

The score was then 4:0 in favor of Ivory Coast, and the game slowed down into a spectacle of game management during the last three minutes of injury time. Neither team attacked the other, and as such, the score remained the same until the referee blew the final whistle during the 96th minute.

--

Chapter 554 Another Solid Performance

Three days later, on Sunday, March 29th, Zachary played his second match for Ivory Coast's National Football team. The game was another friendly face-off, and it was against Equatorial Guinea, another African country. It kicked off at 3:00 PM within the grounds of the Stade Félix-Houphouët-Boigny, which happened to be the same venue that hosted the match against Angola.

Zachary, who had just performed impressively during his debut against Angola, made the starting eleven as a central midfielder that afternoon. He played another impressive game against Equatorial Guinea by putting up a solid performance that wowed teammates, supporters, and fans alike.

His outstanding midfield play was especially a spectacle for the textbooks. He kept everything simple throughout the game and didn't do anything flashy. But even then, his tidy routine of passing and finding spaces while linking up with the other Ivorian midfielders like Yaya Touré and Serey Dié allowed his teammates to dictate the tempo. They hoarded the ball possession, and it wasn't long before they began creating clear-cut goal-scoring chances.

During the 38th minute, a swift exchange of one-twos between Yaya Touré and Zachary saw the two of them break through the middle and penetrate deep into Equatorial Guinea's defense. As Coast's 1st goal during the 39th minute.

The score was then 1:0 in favor of Ivory Coast, and the game they approached the box, the ball returned to Yaya Touré, who readily released a pass toward the right to find Max Gradel, the forward cutting in from the right flank.

Max Gradel, on his part, remained composed. He connected with the ball from Yaya Touré and took a touch to rush into the box. A one-versus-one battle against the keeper soon followed, and Max Gradel came out on top. He pulled the trigger early without fear or favor and unleashed a curling shot past the keeper to score Ivory Coast's 1st goal during the 39th minute.

The score was then 1:0 in favor of Ivory Coast, and the game continued after a minute or so of celebrations. The Ivorians continued dominating the proceedings on the field of play with their stable passing, and as the game progressed, they continued creating clear goal-scoring chances.

They were dangerous on the attack and even came close to scoring during the 43rd, 55th, 63rd, and 69th minutes of gameplay. However, on all those occasions, the Equatorial Guinea keeper performed as if he was inhuman and saved all those goal attempts. As such, the score remained 1:0 in favor of Ivory Coast as the game proceeded into the late stages.

The 74th minute arrived, and something no one expected transpired in the game. The Equatorial Guinea players, who had remained on the back foot all afternoon, came alive and flew forward on the counter after a failed Ivory Coast corner kick. With the lightning-fast turnover, they effortlessly broke through the ranks of the Ivorians, who were yet to array themselves back into a proper defensive shape.

Eventually, after a series of highly accurate one-twos, a square pass from the wing saw the ball arrive at the feet of Iban Salvador's feet. The striker chested it forward to rush past Simon Deli, one of the Ivorian defenders, before stepping into the box. He remained composed and hammered it on the half-volley to find the top left corner and score Equatorial Guinea's first goal on the afternoon.

The score was 1:1, and the proceedings were back to level terms. The game continued, and the Ivorians players reacted as they should after conceding the goal. They increased the intensity of their attacks and soon started asking all the crucial questions on the field of play. Their offensives grew increasingly threatening as the game progressed until they finally found a breakthrough opportunity during the 78th minute.

Zachary was the player that came alive in midfield by unleashing an outside-of-the-boot 'trivela' of a raking pass toward the left flank. And with that one ball, he took all the Equatorial Guinea midfielders out of the equation and found Salomon Kalou, Ivory Coast's left forward.

Salomon Kalou reacted quickly and connected with the intelligent pin-point ball from Zachary. The Ivorian forward chested it forward before realigning his posture and taking off towards Equatorial Guinea's box like a raging hurricane.

A few seconds of insane sprinting saw Salomon Kalou initiate a face-off against one of the Equatorial Guinea defenders. He remained composed and tried to rush past the defender with a simple change of pace. But just before he could complete his intended actions, the defender stretched out a leg and tripped the sprinting Salomon Kalou, who, in turn, tumbled to the ground with a thud.

FWEEEEEEE*

The referee blew the whistle and immediately awarded a free-kick to Ivory Coast. Zachary stepped forward to take the set piece from twenty-seven yards away without facing any antagonism whatsoever from the other Ivory Coast players. n0𝚟𝖊𝓵𝒰𝓈𝔟.𝑐0𝕞

At that crucial moment, Zachary remained composed and did what he usually did best. He dispatched a simple but fast shot that made a perfect parabola over the defensive wall before bouncing right on the mouth of the goal and then homing into the back of the net.

With that, Ivory Coast regained the lead, and the score was then 2:1 in their favor. Even then, the Ivorians, who had already learned their lesson after conceding once, didn't relax after scoring the second. By relying on their impressive midfield that consisted of players like Zachary and Yaya Touré, they dictated the tempo and continued launching more offensives against the visiting Equatorial Guinea side.

Zachary was even more impressive during the final stages of the game. He had already gained an initial understanding of all the nuances of his teammates after training with them for days. He effortlessly utilized that knowledge to unleash razor-sharp forward passes that caused a lot of difficulties for Equatorial Guinea's side.

But his brilliance didn't just stop at the passing. During the 87th minute, he also decided to go for glory and skipped past two Equatorial Guinea defenders with his potent dribbling. He effortlessly arrived at the edge of the box and tried to go for the top left corner with an outside-of-the-box missile of a snapshot. But alas, an interception from a defender diverted the ball away from the goal for a corner kick, and Zachary could only place his hands at the back of his head with regret.

The referee blew the whistle, and Ivory Coast took the resulting corner kick a dozen or so seconds later. However, nothing came of it, and the game continued.

The rest of the game was uneventful. The Ivory Coast players, of course, relied on their already soaring momentum and continued attacking. But they still couldn't find another real breakthrough, and as such, the score remained 2:1 in favor of Ivory Coast when the referee blew the final whistle after three minutes of injury time.

Ivory Coast had achieved yet another victory. Zachary, who had just scored his second goal for his national team, was in very high spirits. He spent minutes hugging his new teammates before walking around the pitch to wave to the fans.

As he moved around, his ears continued picking up the voices of the Ivorian supporters passionately yelling his name. An honest smile outlined his face, and he even waved at the supporters with more favor.

At that moment, he could really feel the flavor of international football. A complicated feeling emerged deep within his heart as he could also feel the sincere sentiments and expectations the Ivorian supporters had for him just from their excited yells. He took a deep breath and vowed to do his all to help his national team achieve glory.

Minutes later, Zachary attended a mandatory post-match press conference. He talked about his first experience with the Ivorian national team and also mentioned the goals he wished to achieve with his new teammates. After the session with the journalists, he enjoyed an early dinner with his teammates before returning to his hotel room to rest for the night.

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