THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME
chapter-537

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.

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.

*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.

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.