THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME
chapter-552

Thursday, March 26th, 2015

Stade Félix-Houphouët-Boigny, Abidjan, Ivory Coast.

Time 7:59 PM

The kick-off time for the friendly game between Ivory Coast and Angola was only a few seconds away, and more than 45,000 enthusiastic Ivorian fans had already filled up every nook and cranny of the stadium.

Some fans were already singing famous Ivorian football chants while others were hammering drums, jerricans, buckets, or any other improvised excuse of the instruments they could get their hands on. There were also those blowing vuvuzelas like mad and a few others in weird costumes who continued dancing to the beat of the reverberating drums within the stadium.

All in all, the excitement was already soaring to the skies as the kick-off time drew near, and there seemed to be a magic spell cast upon the stadium. The voices, vuvuzelas, dances, and whatever else the supporters were doing all blended together to form a weirdly beautiful and chaotic ensemble. And then, the resulting chorus abruptly rose in volume and hit a thunderous crescendo when the clock hands around Abidjan pointed to the 8:00 PM mark.

*FWEEEEEEE*

The referee blew the whistle, and the friendly game between Ivory Coast and Angola commenced.

The opening fifteen minutes were uneventful as players of both teams struggled to find their rhythm. The football on display was anything but neat, especially since there were several players making blind passes and a few others who tried out dribbles but failed to beat their opponents. And without organization, the two teams could neither settle into the game nor create meaningful chances during the opening stages.

But, of course, there were always a few players who would perform above the norm even when their teams were performing below par. Yaya Touré was such a player, and he abruptly came alive during the 23rd minute.

After intercepting a loose pass from one of the Angola midfielders, Yaya Touré drove forward like a Ferrari driver on a formula one race track. He skipped past two opponents with a swift change of pace before threading a pass to find Gervinho, one of the three strikers.

Gervinho, on his part, cut in from the left side of the pitch and linked up with the ball from Yaya Touré. His speed was like the wind, and a few more strides allowed him to step into the box. He squared his body and unleashed a curling shot goalward, hoping to catch the keeper off-guard and find the inside of the far post.

However, Gervinho's luck was on the low side that evening. Landú Mavanga, the Angola keeper, by some miracle, managed to get his fingertips on the ball. The shot-stopper pushed the shot away from its intended trajectory, and the ball bounced out of play for a corner kick.

*FWEEEEEEE*

The referee blew the whistle, and the Ivory Coast players took the corner kick shot. Gervinho quickly flicked the ball to Serey Dié, who, in turn, unleashed a teasing cross toward the already crowded Angola box.

It was a clear chance for the Ivorians to take the lead, and the players in orange jerseys went into action. They battled the Angola players for aerial superiority as they tried to connect with the incoming corner ball.

But at the end of it all, Eric Bailly, the Ivorian center-back, came out on top. He relied on his impressive jumping power to tower over his marker and guide the ball toward the goal. His heading technique was outstanding, and he effortlessly beat the keeper to score Ivory Coast's 1st goal during the 24th minute.

The game was then 1:0 in favor of Ivory Coast, and the home fans turned more frenzied. They sang, drummed, and cheered like crazy as the players celebrated the goal.

A minute or so later, the game recommenced. The Ivorians, who had just scored a goal, finally settled in the game. Their passes became more uncluttered, and they started hoarding the ball possession.

But even then, the attacking aspect of their game was still lacking, and they couldn't create any other meaningful chances. They had no shots on target for the rest of the half, and as such, the score remained 1:0 until they matched out of the pitch for the half-time break.

After the break, the same situation continued. The Ivorian players continued dictating the tempo with their neat passing. But they were still not attempting to make those teasing forward passes that could break down Angola's defense.

They just continued moving the ball from defense, then to the midfield, and back to their defenders repeatedly without showing the intent to launch any attack. It was as if they were already satisfied with their 1:0 score, and because of that, they weren't willing to take any risk and commit bodies forward.

Hervé Renard, the Ivory Coast coach, couldn't feel at ease with the situation on the pitch. His tension was mounting as his players had started showing a clear lack of drive and passion to push forward and attack. Moreover, due to their laxity, they were slowly but surely inviting trouble by allowing the Angola players to settle into the game.

As an experienced coach, Hervé Renard understood that permitting such a situation to continue was akin to playing with fire. With how the game was going, maybe it wouldn't be long before the opponents started creating their own chances. And with that in mind, the coach decided to turn to his bench to revitalize his team by making a few substitutes.

"Zachary Bemba! Salomon Kalou!" He called out to the two players. "Start warming up. I want you on the pitch in five."

"Yes, coach," the two players replied in unison. They then changed into their bibbs and took off to go through warm-up routines on the sidelines.

During the 57th minute, the ball went out of play for a throw-in, and the Ivorians finally made their two substitutions. Zachary substituted Siaka Tiéné, a midfielder, while Salomon Kalou replaced Max Gradel, one of the forwards. Immediately after that, the whistle sounded, and the game restarted.

Zachary adapted quickly after stepping onto the pitch. He settled into his midfield role and started playing simple but neat football.

As he was new to the team, he didn't do anything extravagant, like taking on the entire defense with his dribbling. Instead, he stuck to the basics of passing, giving, and going to help his team stabilize the situation on the field of play.

His playing style was none-contact football that day. He would run into an unmarked pocket of space and receive the ball. And before any opponent could approach his vicinity, he would thread a pass to a teammate in a strategic position. Everything about him on the field of play was tidy, and he didn't draw any foul or an aerial duel from an opponent for minutes.

As more minutes passed, he slowly but steadily grew into the game. His ball skills and high game intelligence gradually came into play as he made more touches on the ball. His movements became sharper, and he started exchanging lightning-fast one-twos with Yaya Touré and the other Ivorian midfielders. His impressive use of the spaces allowed his teammates to regain their wits, and they slowly began to look sharper on the attack.

Zachary, though, remained patient and continued sticking to his none-contact football style. He continued floating around the midfield like an assassin waiting for a chance to go in for a kill. Then, finally, during the 81st minute, he found the perfect opportunity to break through.

A misplaced pass from an Angola defender saw the ball float into an unmarked pocket of space close to the final third. Zachary, who happened to be nearby, immediately pounced forward with the agility of a predator going in for the kill.

His long strides nibbled up yards of space like nothing, and he reached the loose ball in a short span of a few seconds. He controlled it midstride and then executed a Marseille turn to skip past an approaching opponent.

His movements on the turn were elegant and refined, like those of a true-blue gentleman dancing with a fair lady. But those graceful motions still rendered the opponent totally helpless and left the pitiful guy crying for his mama.

Zachary finally completed his 360-degree turn and left the opponent in the dust with the swagger of a ball wizard. His SS-grade spatial awareness and risk analysis worked like a charm at that moment, and with a single glance forward, he assessed the situation between him and the goal.

At that same exact instant, something within Zachary's mind tingled, and his long-refined football instincts took over. He tightened his core and drew his leg back before swinging it down and hard like a whip.

His SS-grade body control allowed him to utilize his newly-enhanced SS core strength like a grandmaster. He followed through with his swinging motion and smashed the ball goalward with all the leg power he could muster.

"BAM!"

His boot connected with the ball with a bang. However, it didn't rise but just barely skimmed over the grass while darting toward the goal with the swiftness of a lightning bolt.

Before Landú Mavanga, the Angola keeper, could react and initiate any movement whatsoever, the ball flickered past him like a bullet. And within anything but an instant, it smashed off the post with a bang and homed into the back of the net.