THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME
chapter-523

The Juventus squad arrived in Doha at around 5:30 PM. The sun had already set, and the bright artificial lights illuminated the hallways of Doha International Airport.

Zachary followed the rest of his teammates as they quickly went through the airport procedures and immigration checks. A dedicated team of helpers from the Qatar Football Association aided them, and they completed the entire process quickly. They then picked up their luggage and exited the airport.

During the winter months from October to March, the climate in Qatar was, at most times, just mild. From what Zachary had read before traveling, daily temperatures often ranged from 24ºC to 35ºC during the day and 15ºC to 22ºC at night. The place was definitely a much warmer utopia when compared to Turin.

Equipped with all that knowledge, Zachary didn't even bother to put on a jacket. He had only donned a simple Juventus tracksuit, a head sock to keep his braided hair in place, and comfortable Nike sneakers for travel. He continued moving along with his teammates as they followed their guides to the arranged bus for the team.

"Juventus! Oye!"

"Zachary! Welcome..."

"Carlos Tevez..."

"Buffon... We love you..."

Suddenly, a cacophony of excited voices sounded while the players were on their way to the arranged bus. The noise immediately captured Zachary's attention, and he reflexively inclined his head to look.

A crowd of passionate supporters had gathered a few meters away, just beyond some parked taxis. Most of them were probably Italians who had traveled to support Juventus during the Supercoppa Italiana final, and they were being kept in order by airport security. Zachary also spotted a few men in long, white, and loose Arabic clothing among the crowd. They were most likely members of the Juventus fanbase in Qatar.

"I didn't expect that we had a lot of fans in Qatar," Kwadwo Asamoah commented from beside Zachary. He seemed excited. He waved back to the fans while pulling his suitcase towards the waiting bus.

"It's the Italian football publicity offices doing their work," Zachary said as he followed his teammates' example and waved to the fans. "The Italian football governing bodies must have put in quite the effort to market the Supercoppa in Qatar. We might get a full stadium during the game."

"I heard that the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium only has a capacity of 13,000 seats," Kwadwo Asamoah remarked. "The supporters attending the match will be much fewer than the numbers we usually attract back in Italy."

"Definitely," Zachary agreed. "But I still like the vibrant atmosphere and the good weather here. It's a good choice for the venue of the Supercoppa..."

After some minutes of exchanging small talk and waving to the fans, the Juventus players finally reached the organized team bus. Their guides helped them load their suitcases into the luggage compartment as they boarded the vehicle. Then, a few minutes later, when all the squad members had taken their seats, the bus started moving, and they set off for the luxurious The Ritz-Carlton, Doha hotel.

They arrived at the hotel roughly thirty minutes later and checked into their rooms. After settling down, they enjoyed a sumptuous dinner at the hotel's restaurant and then had a team meeting chaired by Coach Max Allegri afterward. Then, after about an hour of discussing team plans and strategies for the following day's game, they ended the meeting and returned to their rooms for the night.

The night and the following day's morning hours were all uneventful as all the Juventus players adhered to the team rules. All the players woke up early after enjoying a fulfilling night of rest at the luxurious The Ritz-Carlton, Doha hotel before eating breakfast and going through a light training routine later in the morning.

The rest of the day went as planned after the morning training. They had their lunch at midday and then attended arranged press conferences at around 1:00 PM before resting during the afternoon. Then, at five in the evening, after enjoying another light meal, they boarded their team bus and headed to the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium, ready to face off against Napoli in that year's Supercoppa Italiana final.

Monday, December 22, 2014.

Jassim bin Hamad Stadium, Doha, Qatar.

Time: 6:29 PM

The weather was just perfect, not so cold and not so hot. The stadium's floodlights had already been switched on, and they bathed the pitch in a luminous glow. Players of both Napoli and Juventus had already taken their positions, and they were only waiting for the referee to blow the whistle so they could commence the game.

A sudden silence descended upon the stadium as the fans stopped singing the chants for their respective teams. The supporters in the stands only waited quietly as the referee glanced about him and raised the whistle to his lips.

*FWEEEEEEE*

Paolo Valeri, the referee for the day, finally blew the whistle, and the stadium came alive once again. The supporters resumed singing as Gonzalo Higuaín, Napoli's center forward, kicked the ball back into his midfield to kickstart the game. At long last, the 2014 Supercoppa battle between Juventus and Napoli had commenced.

In the middle of the pitch, Marek Hamsik, Napoli's attacking midfielder, effortlessly controlled the ball from Gonzalo Higuaín. He turned and whirled before kicking the ball toward his left, hoping to find Jonathan de Guzmán, Napoli's left winger. The latter received it and tried to play a forward pass to Gonzalo Higuaín, the striker who was already strategically positioned in Juventus' half.

However, the ball from Jonathan de Guzmán was not accurate enough. It was easily intercepted by a highly agile Arturo Vidal, who slid in wholesale and poked it to Kwadwo Asamoah, Juventus' attacking wingback on the left.

"Ball!" Zachary shouted as Kwadwo Asamoah controlled the ball.

Kwadwo Asamoah didn't panic on hearing Zachary's shout. He effortlessly stepped forward to meet the ball before passing it to Zachary.

Zachary's ball control was as brilliant as ever. With light but quick movements, he connected with the pass from Kwadwo Asamoah as his eyes surveyed the situation all over the pitch. Just then, he realized that he could observe and scrutinize the movements of all his teammates much more clearly than before. He naturally spotted Carlos Tevez, the striker who had long initiated a daring run toward the other side of the pitch.

The Argentine striker was already bolting past bodies and bodies of Napoli players while swerving left and right. His speed was impressive, and the striker would rush past Napoli's defensive line within the next five seconds.

The gears and wheels in Zachary's enhanced football brain whirled and turned before falling into place. In a split second, he realized he had to release the ball into the space behind Napoli's defense within less than four seconds or else risk Carlos Tevez running into an offside position and missing out on an opportunity.

The first second, Zachary shoved the ball forward with the tip of his boot to prepare for what was to come.

The next second, he stepped forward with momentum before drawing his leg all the way back like a taut bowstring. He also didn't forget to align his body at the perfect angle so as to make a flawless release. Everything was completed almost instantaneously.

Finally, the third second arrived as he swung his leg down and smashed the ball towards the other side of the field. He utilized the toe area of the inside of his boot to unleash a lofted ball toward the space behind Napoli's backline. Moreover, he had timed the pass faultlessly and only hit the ball during the second before Carlos Tevez could run into an offside position. In essence, he had sent forth the perfect defense-splitting pass to Carlos Tevez.

At the other end of the field, Carlos Tevez's eyes glinted with excitement as he noticed the ball flying toward him. He accelerated and raced past the two Napoli defenders trying to box him in before slowing down and chesting the descending ball forward.

The next second, the adrenaline pumping through his system pushed his speed to the max before the Napoli defenders could recover. He chased after the ball like mad and got to it in only a few seconds.

With the simplest of touches, he extended his boot and looped the ball over the approaching keeper. Then, he swerved right and circumvented the goalkeeper before collecting the ball again and hammering it into the back of the empty net. He had scored Juventus' first goal during the 1st minute of the Supercoppa Italiana.

"GOAAAAL...."

Carlos Tevez couldn't contain his excitement as the cheers around the stadium hit a thunderous crescendo. A bright smile outlined his often-intense features, and he ran all the way back to Zachary's position to give him a bear hug.

"Zachary!" He said with a chuckle. "That was the dream pass for any striker. You timed it so well. Thank you."

"There's no need for thanks. It's what I should do." Zachary's smile was brighter than usual as he hugged his teammate back.

The rest of the Juventus players soon joined the celebrations as the cheering from the stands continued resounding around the stadium. The players took turns hugging each other before exchanging encouraging words to reinforce their determination to win the Supercoppa Italiana. Their team spirit was overflowing since they had scored their 1st goal during the second minute of gameplay. They had obviously set themselves in the perfect position to win the fixture.