THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME
chapter-496

As scheduled, Juventus' match against Sassuolo kicked off at 8:45 PM the following evening in Reggio Emilia, Italy. The action within the Mapei Stadium, Sassuolo's home ground, heated up quickly, and it wasn't long before the teams started launching relentless attacks against one another.

One minute, the cheers of the visiting fans would hit a thunderous zenith as Juventus launched attacks through their highly-creative players, like Zachary, Andrea Pirlo, Carlos Tevez, and Fernando Llorente. But a few moments later, it would be the Sassuolo fans singing at the top of their voices as their team attacked Juventus with an indomitable impetus.

Obviously, both teams wished to draw first blood and score the first goal to gain an advantage early on in the game. They thus continued playing attacking football, going at each other like mad and causing the tension in the stadium to soar to unbelievable levels.

Spirited counters and wing runs became the order of the evening, and due to the highly offensive football on display, the game became fast-paced. The team formations also turned almost worthless as the playing field heated up with tension. And in such a manner, the time passed quickly, and soon it was the 27th minute.

At that moment, it was the Sassuolo players on the ball. They were trying to launch another offensive against Juventus with snappy exchanges through the middle. However, a misplaced pass by Simone Missiroli, their central midfielder, rendered their efforts fruitless and sealed their fate of losing possession.

"Whoosh!"

Arturo Vidal, the Juventus defensive midfielder who happened to be close by, immediately pounced toward the loose ball. He slid forth and prodded the ball toward the right flank with the tip of his outstretched boot. And with that effort, he set loose Stephan Lichtsteiner and initiated another lightning-fast counter.

Stephan Lichtsteiner, on his part, controlled the ball mid-stride before continuing his mad dash toward the other side of the pitch. He cut through the flanks like an incarnation of the Flash while prodding the ball forward. His pace was for the world championships, and he effortlessly raced past two opposing players before squaring the ball to find Zachary in the middle.

As usual, Zachary was composed, fast, and decisive while receiving the ball. Taking it in his stride, he feigned going right before going left to lose an opponent. Then, with a slight shift of pace, he skipped past another Sassuolo player before expertly threading the ball forward to find Fernando Llorente.

Fernando Llorente, who happened to be in fine form, of course, didn't disappoint. He skillfully edged past an opposing center-back to connect with Zachary's pinpoint pass. He then squared his body and curled the ball over the goalkeeper and into the back of the net.

Llorente's 28th-minute goal allowed Juventus to gain the advantage, and the score was then 1:0 in favor of the team from Turin. As a result, the almost impossible task of coming back from behind against the best team in Italy lay on the shoulders of the Sassuolo players. They had to attempt to score at least a goal while continuing to defend well to keep the Juventus attackers at bay. Otherwise, they would obviously lose the game on their home ground and thus disappoint their home supporters.

*FWEEEEEEE*

With the sound of the referee's whistle, the game recommenced. And as expected, the Sassuolo players pressed forward, immediately launching an offensive against Juventus. Their urgency on the ball was evident in their playing style, and anyone watching the game could tell that team Sassuolo yearned to score an equalizing goal as soon as possible.

However, as the Sassuolo players pressed forward, they left spaces behind, and more opportunities began to open up for Juventus on the counter.

The highly creative Old Lady attacking players, like Zachary, Tevez, and Stephan Lichtsteiner, took advantage of the situation and almost extended their lead on multiple occasions. They even came close to scoring during the 43rd minute as Carlos Tevez's audacious bicycle kick smashed off the post before bouncing out of play.

After the half-time break, the game continued, and the pressure from the Sassuolo players grew more relentless. By relying on brilliant wing play and long ball tactics, they backed the Juventus players into their own half and forced them on the defensive during the opening ten minutes of the second half.

But just as supporters began to think that Juventus was about to concede a goal, a sudden change occurred on the pitch. Zachary, who had mostly stayed quiet during the opening minutes of the second half, exploded with brilliance. He dispossessed Francesco Magnanelli close to the border of the final third before kicking the ball to his left to find Patrice Evra on the left flank.

But Zachary didn't stop at that. Before Evra could receive the pass, he whirled around and then took off towards the other side of the pitch, hoping to be involved in the attack.

"Pa..."

Evra, on his part, effortlessly brought the ball under control on the left flank. Then, racing forward, he exchanged a couple of one-twos with Zachary, who was running in sync with him, as he speared into Sassuolo's half at breakneck.

Stepping into the final third, Evra was not selfish. Instead, he chose to slow down and pass the ball to Tevez, who had just floated into an unmarked pocket of space on the left side of Sassuolo's box.

Tevez effortlessly connected with Evra's through ball before whirling around and passing to Fernando Llorente. The latter took a single touch before flicking the ball back to Zachary, who had positioned himself immaculately close to the edge of the box.

"Whoosh!"

Judging the angle of the approaching pass, Zachary pounced forward. He didn't even bother to control the ball but just blasted it and sent it on a curling trajectory toward the inside of the far post. His shooting technique was flawless, and he beat the keeper to score Juventus' second goal during the 64th minute.

With the goal, Juventus gained momentum. They attacked and defended spiritedly during the remaining minutes of the game. They also played as a unit and denied Sassuolo any chance to score even a single goal. As a result, they managed to maintain their 2:0 lead and win the game after six minutes of added time.

After the game ended, the Juventus players were all in a celebratory mood. They had just accomplished their seventh consecutive win in the Serie A and further strengthened their position at the top of the Serie A. As a result, they gained confidence as a team and worked even harder over the next few days.

While training, the days passed quickly, and Wednesday arrived. The Juventus players, who had finished all their preparations, took an early morning flight to Greece and played against Olympiacos Piraeus in the evening.

Maybe, it was because of the traveling or the tight schedule, but the Juventus players weren't at their best against the Greek side. They started on the back foot after conceding an early goal during the 5th minute. But an impressive two late goals from Zachary and Andrea Pirlo during the 77th and 91st minutes, respectively, allowed them to win their 3rd successive Champions League fixture for that season.

The Juventus players then returned to Turin the day after the game. After resting for a day, they trained intensively for three days before welcoming Palermo to Turin. Backed by the support of their home fans, they dispatched their opponents with goals from Arturo Vidal, Fernando Llorente, and Zachary Bemba, thus further cementing their pole position on the Serie A table.

But that was not the end of their tight schedule. Three days later, on Wednesday, 29th October, they played against Genoa away from home and won by two goals to one. For that game, Zachary didn't score. But he still provided the two assists that resulted in the two goals scored by Tevez and Llorente for Juventus.

Then, two days later, on a rainy Saturday evening, Juventus played against Empoli away from home. For that game, the Old Lady players were brimming with spirit. They easily thrashed the opponents by three goals to zero after Andrea Pirlo, Zachary, and �lvaro Morata found the back of the net during the 14th, 57th, and 72nd minutes, respectively.

Juventus' insanely tight schedule then continued with a return Champions League game against Olympiacos on Tuesday, 4th November. But even after Coach Allegri fielded a second team, Juventus still went ahead to win the game 1:0 with an early goal from Simone Pepe.

Having rested for more than four days, Juventus' first-string players were back in action against Parma on Sunday, 11th November. They played an impressive game and easily thrashed the opponents by nine goals to zero.

Fernando Llorente, Carlos Tevez, Zachary Bemba, and �lvaro Morata all scored braces, while Stephan Lichtsteiner completed the one-sided demolition of Parma with a late goal.

And with that, the Juventus players had successfully completed their insanely seven-match tight schedule and remained unbeaten. They still had a perfect run in both the Champions League and the Serie A, without a single loss or a draw. As a result, they were a hot topic in Italy and the rest of Europe, with many famous media outlets citing how they had just accomplished the most perfect start of the season in over a decade.