THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME
chapter-534

The referee had been well-positioned and seen what had transpired between Gianluigi Buffon and Lucas Podolski. So, when he heard the cries for a foul from the Inter Milan players and fans alike, he didn't even think twice before waving his arms dismissively to shut them down. He remained totally deaf to their appeals and boldly signaled for the game to continue.

Of course, the Juventus defenders didn't need the reminder from the referee to get on with the game. Leonardo Bonucci, the center-back, was already in action, and he had just smashed the ball toward the middle of the pitch, where Carlos Tevez happened to be lurking.

Carlos Tevez, on his part, dashed away from the defender marking him and connected with the ball. He leaped off the ground and brought it under control with his chest before flicking it toward his right to find Fernando Llorente, his counterpart on the striking line.

Fernando Llorente also took one touch on the ball to bring it under control. He then kicked it backward to find Simone Padoin, the only Juventus midfielder, who happened to be unmarked at that juncture.

"Pa..."

Simone Padoin's boot produced a slight sound as he connected with the pass from Fernando Llorente. Then, as usual, he first looked in Zachary's direction to assess whether the young playmaker was in a favorable situation. But alas, Zachary was already tightly marked by Mateo Kovacic and Yann M'Vila, the two Inter Milan central midfielders, and thus wasn't the perfect outlet for the ball at that very moment.

Lightning-fast thoughts raced through Simone Padoin's mind, and he chose the second-best option after briefly surveying the situation on the pitch. The midfielder twisted and turned to avail himself some more space before unleashing a lofted pass over the entire midfield and toward the left wing. His passing accuracy was spot-on, and he smoothly picked out Patrice Evra, the Juventus left-back who had long initiated a daring run into Inter Milan's half.

"Pa..."

The sound of chest muscles meeting synthetic leather sounded as Evra controlled the ball on the left flank. He chested it forward skillfully and continued sprinting along the touchline to advance Juventus' lightning-fast counterattack against Inter Milan.

Evra was like a true-blue incarnation of Usain Bolt, and a few seconds later, he stepped past the border of the final third and squared the ball toward the space before the box. He was, of course, trying to find either Carlos Tevez or Fernando Llorente, the two Juventus strikers that had the habit of lurking around the area.

"Whoosh..."

In the middle, Carlos Tevez's exceptional sprinting speed came into play. The Argentine moved like the wind and left the Inter Milan defenders in the dust before connecting with the square pass from Patrice Evra. Then, before any of the other players could react, he drew his leg back and unleashed a powerful curling shot toward the inside of the far post.

At that moment, it seemed like the time for Juventus to score the third goal had arrived, and the cheers around the stadium rose up a notch. But the next instant, those cheers turned into dejected sighs when Samir Handanovic, the Inter Milan keeper, executed an acrobat dive to punch the ball out of play. The Juventus fans were obviously feeling down after their team failed to convert an excellent chance and score their third goal during the 59th minute.

"Don't mind! Don't mind! Let's forget about the missed chance and prepare for the corner..."

Coach Max Allegri's loud voice sounded from Juventus' technical area as the players readied themselves for the corner kick. He was obviously reminding his players not to dwell on the past but to focus on the present. He wanted them to forget Carlos Tevez's missed opportunity and then go all out to get something out of the corner kick.

*FWEEEEEEE*

The referee's whistle sounded a few seconds later, and Simone Padoin took the corner kick. The midfielder sent a lofted ball from the corner spot that cut through the air like a surface-to-surface missile. Its speed was so swift, and its trajectory teasing as it soared toward Inter Milan's already crowded and chaotic box.

At the edge of the box, Zachary was attentively tracking the ball using his peripheral vision. At the same time, he also observed the reactions of Mateo Kovacic and Yann M'Vila, the two Inter Milan central midfielders who were marking him. Then, a second or two later, after he accurately judged their intentions and impending actions, he sprang into action.

"Whoosh..."

He moved like the wind while utilizing his impressive physical fitness attributes to escape the harassment of the two opponents marking him. He dashed toward the area close to the penalty spot with a death-or-glory attitude and leaped off the ground like a Ninja.

The CR7 Aerial Finishing Juju worked wonders at that moment, and he easily towered over all the players in the box before connecting with the corner ball. He tilted his head slightly and guided the fast-incoming ball toward the top left corner with a skillful but delicate touch.

"Whoosh..."

The ball traveled like a bullet toward the goal, and as expected, Samir Handanovic, the Inter Milan keeper, reacted immediately. The shot-stopper executed an acrobatic dive, hoping to save the situation. But alas, Zachary's header was just too powerful, and the ball brushed by his fingertips before homing into the back of the net. And with that, Zachary had just scored his third goal for the night and extended Juventus' lead during the 61st minute.

Juventus FC 3 : Inter Milan 1

"GOAAL..."

It was as if there were explosives going off within the Juventus stadium after Zachary scored the third goal for Juventus. The Juventus fans couldn't contain their excitement, and they vocalized the famous victory chants of Juventus with their all. Their voices shook the stadium to its very core as the Juventus players gathered at one of the corner flags to celebrate the third goal.

"Well..." Fabio Crudeli, the commentator, said after the cheers started dying down. "I guess that is it for Inter Milan. Zachary Bemba has just obliterated them by scoring his third goal for the night. The young playmaker has extended Juventus' lead after getting to the end of the corner ball and finding the back of the net with a powerful header during the 61st minute. What a night for the young man!"

"Indeed, what a night for Zachary Bemba, the twenty-year-old Juventus playmaker," David Ferrini, the co-commentator for the day, chimed in. "He has just completed another hattrick during a Serie A match and helped his team overcome Inter Milan, one of their most powerful rivals in Italy. His performance this season deserves to go down in the history books."

"David!" Fabio Crudeli, the other commentator, called out. "Do you see any way for Inter Milan to crawl their way back into this game?"

"I really don't see a way!" David Ferrini was quick to reply. "The Juventus players have been exceptional during today's game. They have worked hard and played brilliant football to overpower Inter Milan in all areas of the field. I'm sure they will continue doing just that to achieve their desired result. Moreover, there's also Zachary, who has been beyond exceptional. He is an ever-present threat in front of Inter Milan's goal, and I don't think there's a chance for Inter Milan to turn the situation around while he's still on the field of play."

"Good analysis," Fabio Crudeli commended. "I'm of the same view. Zachary is too much for the entire Inter Milan team. He's at the top of his game today, and I can't visualize just how the men from Milan can turn this game around with him on the pitch..."

The commentators were spot-on with their projections. During the final twenty-plus minutes, Inter Milan devoted plenty of manpower to contain Zachary. They utilized Mateo Kovacic and Yann M'Vila, two of their central midfielders, to shadow Zachary's movements. In doing that, they undoubtedly reduced Zachary's impact on the field of play. But as a negative, they also left a lot of gaps in midfield as the two men kept running all over the pitch while trying to keep up with Zachary.

What followed was pretty obvious. The other Juventus players, including Carlos Tevez, Álvaro Morata (the substitute), Simone Padoin, and Arturo Vidal, brilliantly utilized the gaps left by the two players marking Zachary. They created chances during the final few minutes and allowed Juventus to put two more goals past Inter Milan.

Carlos Tevez scored the fourth goal for Juventus during the 78th minute after skillfully linking up with a pin-point through-pass from Arturo Vidal. Then, Álvaro Morata, the substitute striker, found the back of the net during the 84th minute after a lightning-fast exchange of short passes between him and Simone Padoin, the other Juventus midfielder. And with that, the score was finally 5:1 in favor of Juventus as the game headed into the final few minutes.

From there on, it was all about game management for Juventus. The players in black and white didn't relax even after Álvaro Morata scored the fifth goal. They continued playing short but steady passes while occasionally employing some time-wasting strategies until the final whistle sounded after three minutes of added time.