THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME
chapter-553

"GOAAAL..."

Zachary raced to the corner flag as the cheers around the stadium exploded to almost unimaginable levels. Happiness glowed inside him as he had just scored a monumental goal on his debut day for the national team. His mood continued elevating as the Ivorian fans sang his name, and he finally slid on his knees for a good few meters to celebrate.

Of course, the other Ivorian players couldn't stop their urge to join the celebrations. They quickly gathered around the corner flag and started hugging and congratulating Zachary.

Zachary noted that the smiles and words from his teammates were genuine and really from their hearts. It seemed they had totally accepted him as a teammate after he showcased his abilities on the field of play. As such, the stares they directed at him contained that boundless respect deserving of a world-class footballer that could rival once-in-a-generation talents.

"Nice goal!" Yaya Touré patted Zachary's back as the celebrations were about to end. "But I have to confirm something with you. Were you really intending to go for a Daisy Cutter shot from outside the box when you were going for the goal? Or was the shot just a lucky effort born from an accident?"

Zachary smiled on hearing Yaya Touré's question. A Daisy Cutter in football was a shot similar to what Zachary had just utilized to score the 2nd goal for Ivory Coast. It would skim the ground at high speed while heading for the back of the net.

"Guess!" Zachary said to Yaya Touré.

Yaya Touré grinned. "Impressive! You intended to unleash such a shot from the get-go. Don't tell me you're also a master of high-powered and accurate Daisy Cutters from outside the box?"

"I can't say I'm a master," Zachary responded. "I'm just a player who practices my shooting a lot. That allows me to perform at my best during crucial game moments."

"Well..." Yaya Touré said. "I'm glad that you have joined our team. Let's head back into the pitch for the game."

"Okay..." Zachary agreed. He bowed to the fans to thank them for their support and then headed back to the middle of the pitch.

Within the technical area, Coach Hervé Renard's mood was a bit complicated. With his experience, he understood how difficult it was to join a new team and continue performing at one's best. But Zachary had just done 'exactly' that and performed impressively on his debut for his national team.

The boy wonder took only a short while to make his presence known after stepping onto the pitch as a substitute during the 57th minute. Through his brilliant utilization of space, he quickly settled into his role and resolved Ivory Coast's tricky midfield situation. But he didn't just stop at that. Minutes later, the young playmaker came alive again with a dazzling show of dribbling skills. He beat an opponent with an elegant Marseille turn before going for the spectacular and scoring Ivory Coasts' 2nd goal during the 82nd minute.

Judging from the way Zachary handled himself right before going for the goal, Coach Hervé Renard could tell that the boy was the real deal. He was a player with well-balanced physical fitness, incredible ball skills, and an insane level of composure during crucial moments. He was the sort of player that could determine the game's outcome with just a few seconds of brilliance.

Coach Hervé Renard could feel his hopes soar to the heavens after such a player joined his side. He had been entertaining the thought of resigning from his position as head coach of Ivory Coast so as to accept an offer from the top-division French side - Lille. But after getting to experience for himself how monstrous his new player could be, the coach cast out all such notions from his mind. He immediately resolved to stay with the Ivorian National Football team.

"With Zachary Bemba joining us, maybe this team can finally achieve big things during upcoming football matches. Qualifying for the next AFCON and then the 2018 World Cup will not be difficult."

Optimistic thoughts passed through the coach's mind. He took a deep breath and continued following the proceedings on the field of play.

The game had just restarted with an Angola kick-off. The Angola players were moving the ball among themselves on their side of the pitch. They played short and straightforward passes as they tried to stretch the Ivory Coast team shape.

But just as they were beginning to get comfortable, the high press from the Ivorians arrived abruptly. The first to go into action were Gervinho, Salomon Kalou, and Wilfried Bony, the three forwards. The three men ran at the Angola defenders as if their lives were on the line, and it wasn't long before they forced an error.

The powerful, energetic, and highly agile Gervinho was the forward that finally got lucky during his high-pressing endeavor. He zeroed in on an Angola right back with boundless momentum, forcing the helpless defender to panic and try to play a long ball forward.

However, due to the pressure from Gervinho, the clearance from the defender was anything but tidy. Instead of kicking the ball high and far toward Ivory Coast's side of the pitch, the man hammered it hurriedly and sent it straight to the area just before the border of the final third, where Zachary was lurking.

Zachary, who had been marking the space in the middle, was surprised when he saw the ball from the defender approaching his position. However, no matter how astonished he was, his reactions remained extremely swift.

He rushed forward like the wind and quickly controlled the flying ball with his chest. At that same instant, his spatial awareness worked its magic, and he mapped the positions of all teammates ahead of him within his mind.

The next moment, the gears in his highly-powered mindscape whirled and turned before falling into place. Something seemed to click within him, and his incredible football instincts took over. As the ball descended to the ground, he kicked it forward first-time and sent it back toward Gervinho, the Ivorian striker who had just forced an error.

Instant through-pass!

Everything happened almost in an instant. The defender who had made the error had not even settled down when he saw the ball flying back toward his side from a tricky angle. Before he could align his posture and intercept the ball, a highly agile figure in an orange jersey beat him to it.

Of course, it was Gervinho in action. The striker connected with Zachary's first-time teasing ball with a swiftness of a predator hunting its prey. He prodded it forward and skipped past the defender who had initially made the error. Then, before any of the other Angola defenders could react, Gervinho squared his body and dinked the ball over the approaching keeper to score Ivory Coast's third goal for the night during the 86th minute.

Ivory Coast 3 : Angola 0

The cheers around the stadium hit another thunderous peak after the ball homed into the back of the net. The fans were really excited by their team's performance against Angola. They didn't stop singing, dancing, and jubilating for minutes.

Meanwhile, the game restarted again while the fans were still celebrating. The Angola players, who had just conceded a goal, seemed to lose all morale and motivation. Their wits were at an all-time low, and they committed more errors, which invited more trouble to themselves during the game's final minutes.

The Ivorians, who had already gained all the momentum, couldn't let go of the opportunity to destroy their opponents. They high-pressed the Angola players and forced even more errors. Eventually, their efforts paid off during the 92nd minute when Yaya Touré intercepted another loose ball just outside the box and hammered it home into the top right corner to score Ivory Coast's 4th goal for the night.

The score was then 4:0 in favor of Ivory Coast, and the game slowed down into a spectacle of game management during the last three minutes of injury time. Neither team attacked the other, and as such, the score remained the same until the referee blew the final whistle during the 96th minute.