THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME
chapter-564

Fabio Crudeli was once again the commentator for the game. He waited until the thunderous cheers subsided before clearing his voice and saying, "Well, well, well! Juventus has finally scored the long-awaited equalizer. Brilliant midfield play from Zachary Bemba and Kingsley Coman allowed them to penetrate through Parma's tenacious defensive set-up. The on-form Argentine striker - Carlos Tevez then completed the brilliant passage of play. He connected with Zachary Bemba's well-timed pass before blasting the ball past the keeper to score Juventus' 1st goal during the 62nd minute. The score is now back to level terms with 28 minutes remaining."

"This is Juventus at its best," David Ferrini, the co-commentator, remarked. "They are a team destined to become champions. They always have many dangerous options on the bench that can change the game situation. They also have great team spirit and incredible teamwork, especially when it matters. You can never say you have beaten them until you hear the final whistle."

Fabio Crudeli chuckled. "Coach Allegri's halftime changes were spot on. He showed a clear intent to win the game by bringing on Carlos Teves, Andrea Pirlo, and Zachary Bemba, who are by far his best players this season. These three changed the game considerably and allowed Juventus to dominate proceedings during the second half. Juventus' midfield has especially been excellent with the addition of Zachary and Pirlo. The midfielders are like a well-oiled machine, exchanging passes to break down Parma's tenacious formation."

"True," David Ferrini, the co-commentator, agreed. "That passage of play that resulted in the first goal started with Pirlo before Zachary did his magic by picking out Kingsley's well-timed run. This ability to spot such opportunities, even during the most tense of moments, is what has allowed Zachary to become a world-class midfielder in a record time of a few months."

"Well, Juventus have finally gotten their equalizing goal," Fabio Crudeli remarked. "If things stay as they are now for the rest of the night, they will win the Serie A even before the second-placed AS Roma play their game tomorrow afternoon. They will have accumulated 84 points in just 30 matches, and no other team will catch up with them even if they lose their remaining eight games this season."

"Yeah," David Ferrini, the co-commentator, acquiesced. "They are in a very advantageous position to win the Serie A trophy before playing their last eight games. But what do you think they will do now? Will Coach Allegri instruct his men to play it safe and go on the defensive for the remaining minutes? Or will he tell them to continue attacking and go at the opponents with all the intensity they can muster so that they can win the Serie A in style?"

"I think the Juventus players will go all out to win the game," Fabio Crudeli said. "With players like Zachary, Pirlo, and Tevez on the field, they will most likely continue attacking and creating more goal-scoring chances. And since they have already successfully broken through Parma's defensive set-up once, they will likely do it again and get their winning goal."

"Good prediction," David Ferrini said. "I'm also of the same view. But let's first return our focus to the game, which has already restarted."

The commentators were totally right with their predictions. The Juventus players didn't choose to go on the defensive after scoring the equalizer. Instead, they maintained an offensive attitude and attacked Parma's defense like crazy.

It was as if the goal they scored had reinvigorated their spirits. Each of the Juventus players raised their game to the next level within those remaining twenty-something minutes. And together with their brilliant midfielders, like Zachary, Andrea Pirlo, and Claudio Marchisio, they dominated proceedings and hoarded about 70% of the possession. After that, it wasn't long before they started creating clear-cut chances that almost resulted in goals.

For instance, Zachary initiated a counterattack by playing a first-time pass toward Kingsley after a failed Parma corner kick during the 71st minute. Kingsley, on his part, did well to advance the counter. He drove into the heart of Parma's defense, speeding as fast as a Formula One driver to initiate a two-versus-two situation.

The Frenchman eventually played a final ball to Fernando Llorente, one of Juventus' two strikers. But luck seemed not to be on Juventus' side, and the Parma keeper got his fingertips on the final shot from Llorente to push the ball out of play and keep proceedings on level terms.

Juventus got another clear opportunity during the 76th minute when Paolo De Ceglie, Juventus' left wing-back for the day, made a spirited run through the flank. He dashed along the touchline, using his pace to rush past two opposing players before unleashing a lofted cross toward the box from around the border of the final third.

Fernando Llorente, Juventus' striker who was naturally in the box, reacted as he should. He leaped off the ground and relied on his tall physique to tower over the Parma center-backs. He skillfully got to the end of Paolo De Ceglie's cross and guided the ball towards the top right corner with a well-timed header. But alas, the Parma keeper once again made an incredible diving save and pushed the ball out of play to keep the score 1:1 during the 77th minute.

The game resumed after a failed Juventus corner kick. The Old Lady players continued creating more chances, with the likes of Zachary, Carlos Tevez, and Kingsley Coman all coming close to scoring Juventus' second goal during the game's final ten minutes. But the abnormal heroics of Parma's keeper denied their efforts, and thus the game headed into extra time still deadlocked at a score of 1:1.

The Juventus players didn't stop attacking, though. They continued playing their possession football while patiently waiting to break through Parma's defense as the game slowly approached the 93rd minute.

It was at that point that the quiet Andrea Pirlo worked his magic. After receiving a return ball from Paolo De Ceglie close to the center circle, he unleashed a long-range diagonal pass over the entire midfield to find Zachary, who happened to have floated into the right wing.

Zachary, on his part, worked with urgency to connect with the long-range pass from Andrea. He brought the ball under control with his chest before taking another simple touch to loop it over the head of an approaching opponent. Then, his SS-graded agility and dribbling attributes worked like a charm, and he tapped the ball forward to squeeze it through the legs of another Parma player who was also closing him down.

With that nutmeg, Zachary skipped past the opponent and suddenly realized that the coast on the right wing was clear. His football instincts bloomed into splendor, and he relied on his SS-grade agility to accelerate to top speed in no time. Just like a storm, he cut into the pitch and eventually skipped past another sliding tackle before arriving close to the edge of the box on the left flank.

By then, the Parma defenders and goalkeeper had all reacted to block his efforts. Two of Parma's center-backs were guarding strategic positions close to the edge of the box to stop Zachary from pushing into the box from the left side. As for the keeper, he was also guarding the inside of the near post to prevent him from abruptly trying out his luck and scoring from the tight angle.

A soft smile lit up Zachary's face as his eyes took the situation in. He slowed down to draw the two center-backs in before raising his foot as if to take a shot at the goal. But halfway through his swinging motion, he relaxed his leg and suddenly dug his boot under the ball. He looped it over the two defenders, sending it on a beautiful arc toward the unmarked pocket of space close to the far post, where Kingsley Coman was arriving.

Zachary's cheeky pass was like a work of art. Time seemed to come to a standstill as the ball floated over all the players in Parma's box. Then, it dipped at the right time and descended onto Kingsley Coman's head, who, in turn, finished with a simple header to score Juventus' 2nd goal for the night.

PARMA CALCIO 1 : JUVENTUS FC 2

The text on the jumbotron in the Stadio Ennio Tardini immediately shimmered and confirmed Juventus' second goal. Right on cue, the stadium exploded into a wave of cheers, and the atmosphere around the stands turned superheated. The traveling Juventus fans started singing "We're Juventus, We're Champions" as the Juventus players ran toward the touchline to celebrate Kingsley's goal.

Minutes passed, and the goal celebrations on the pitch ended. The referee blew the whistle, and the game restarted. But even then, the Juventus fans didn't calm down. They continued chanting like mad and singing at the top of their voices until the final whistle eventually sounded after seven minutes of added time.

Right at that instant, more crazy scenes started appearing in the stadium. Coach Max Allegri, who had remained calm even after Juventus scored the second goal, let out a series of incoherent loud yells. He was just like Mad Max, punching the air repeatedly with both his arms while at times half jogging and at other times half-hopping. The feat of his team winning the game and becoming Serie A champions had obviously overwhelmed him with joy, and he could only vent his excited emotions using such weird actions.

Fortunately, the coach wasn't alone in his weirdness, and thus his actions appeared normal at that juncture. His players had also already gone mad with excitement. They ran around the pitch haphazardly, like headless chickens, shouting and venting emotions. A few had even removed their shirts and thrown them to the traveling Juventus fans before returning to the pitch to continue celebrating. They obviously couldn't contain the happiness of putting the Serie A to bed and winning the League with eight games to go.

Zachary, on his part, also joined the celebrations. He moved around the pitch and waved to the Juventus fans who had traveled all the way to Parma to support their team. At that point, his soul was already swimming in an ocean of happiness, and he eventually went around hugging his coaches and teammates, one after another, to celebrate their early Serie A victory.

The only blemish to the night was that there would be no trophy presentation, as that had to wait for the final match day of the 2014/15 Serie A season. As such, the Juventus players would have to wait until the end of May before receiving their rightful silverware.