THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME
chapter-547

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.

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.