THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME
chapter-575

"GOAL!" Rob Daly, the commentator, yelled as Zachary moved to celebrate with his teammates. "He has done it again. Zachary Bemba has scored his 16th goal in this year's Champions League season. He robbed James Rodríguez and went clean through from the halfway line. Nobody could keep up with him, and he bided his time and waited and waited before rounding Iker Casillas and slotting the ball into the back of the net."

"What pace! What skills! What composure! This is the Zachary we have all come to know, love, and fear. He's often the savior of his team and the nemesis of all opposing teams. He is an exceptional young talent who can make something happen from nothing. With just one counterattack and bam, he scored a crucial goal for Juventus during the 65th minute. He got the equalizer on the night and extended Juventus' aggregate score to 4:2."

"His goal might have even won the quarter-final for Juventus," Andy Brassell, the other commentator, said. "Only 25 minutes remain before the end of the game. I don't see any chance of Real Madrid overturning this 4:2 aggregate score, especially against a team as defensively disciplined as Juventus."

Rob Daly sighed. "The Real Madrid players have tried their best. They have been exceptional on the pitch and created many goal-scoring chances against Juventus. There was even a moment towards the end of the first half when I thought they would get the equalizer and tie the aggregate score of this quarter-final. But one counterattack from Juventus has changed everything, and they now have to overturn a deficit of two goals or face elimination from the Champions League."

"Well, this is football," Andy Brassell said. "Games can change within seconds. Moreover, there were always signs of Juventus breaking away since the start of the second half. The more men Real Madrid committed forward, the more they increased their risk of facing a counterattack. The poorly taken corner finally did them in. A superb clearance header by Leonardo Bonucci and some sluggish defensive play from James Rodríguez was all it took for Zachary to break through and punish the Los Blancos on the counter."

"That's true," Rob Daly agreed. "Now we have to ask ourselves the same old question: What will Real Madrid do after conceding the goal?"

Andy Brassell chuckled. "They are already behind by two goals in this quarter-final. They have no choice but to throw caution to the wind and go full out on the attack. They will have to find a way to score two goals in these remaining twenty-something minutes or risk elimination from this Champions League."

"Indeed," Rob Daly said. "There is no choice but to go all out on the attack in their case. But this could gift Juventus more opportunities to counterattack."

"Maybe, maybe not," Andy Brassell said.

Real Madrid 1 (2): Juventus 1 (4)

Coach Max Allegri took another glance at the jumbotron hanging on one side of the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium and nodded to himself. His boys had finally done what they ought to do.

They had remained solid and avoided conceding a goal, and when the chance came, they hit Real Madrid on the counterattack and got that crucial goal. They were now firmly in the driving seat of this UEFA Champions League quarter-final.

Coach Max Allegri could feel eruptions of hope and joy exploding in his mind. But he used his experience and forced himself to remain calm. He returned his gaze to the pitch where the game had just recommenced.

Real Madrid had already reacted as expected. They had already committed more numbers forward, and almost all the players in the team, save for Varane and Iker Casillas, had pushed forward into Juventus' half. They were all going at full throttle to break down Juventus' tenacity. They were using everything in their arsenal to get a goal and have some hope of overturning the two-goal deficit before the final whistle sounded.

Coach Max Allegri remained calm and turned towards Real Madrid's bench. As expected, he saw Carlo Ancelotti and his assistants prepping Chicharito as a substitute.

The Italian tactician was probably about to bet all his chips by having his team go all out on the offensive front during the remaining minutes. In fact, Coach Allegri wouldn't be surprised if the tactician sacrificed some of his defense for more firepower on the striking line.

"Well, don't you wish to attack?" Coach Max Allegri thought to himself. "Let me humor you and allow you to attack however you want by going on the defensive."

Coach Max Allegri was a typical Italian Coach. He wouldn't do something as needless as encouraging his team to continue going all out on the attack when they had a two-goal advantage against a team like Real Madrid with only twenty minutes remaining.

He would instead stick to his basics and frustrate the opponents with the Italian defensive game. He would play it safe and see his team through to the semis without taking unnecessary risks.

As the considerations flashed in his head, he turned towards his bench. His eyes swept over all his substitutes until they settled on one of his most solid defensive players outside his starting eleven. "Andrea Barzagli," he called out. "Get ready to replace Morata. I want you on the pitch in less than five minutes."

"Yes, coach," Barzagli replied. He immediately put on his gear and ran off to warm up.

Coach Allegri then considered how Andrea Pirlo was getting tired in midfield. He turned to another substitute who had some good pace and stamina. "Roberto Pereyra, you should also get ready. I want you to replace Pirlo within five minutes tops."

"Yes, coach," Roberto Pereyra replied before dressing up and running away for the warm-up.

Coach Max Allegri nodded to himself. He returned his gaze to the pitch, where his team was still under pressure.

Gareth Bale had just exchanged a series of quick one-twos with Daniel Carvajal to break past Patrice Evra and approach the box from the right wing. Bale then drove into the box without slowing down before squaring a pass into the middle.

Coach Max Allegri watched it all and felt his heart rising into his throat. He was like a tense string as he noticed Karim Benzema connecting with the intricate pass from Bale before hammering it goalward with a first-time swing.

Fortunately, Gianluigi Buffon, the ever-reliable captain, was alert again. He dived and went on a full stretch before getting a well-timed hand onto the ball. He pushed it slightly off its intended course, forcing it to miss the post by mere inches before going out of play.

"This can't go on."

Coach Max Allegri expelled a breath he didn't know he had been holding. He turned to his assistants and told them to notify Andrea Barzagli and Roberto Pereyra to hurry their preparations. He wanted to get them on the pitch to calm the situation before it was too late.

The ball went out of play for a Real Madrid throw-in during the 71st minute. On cue, the fourth official raised the board, and the two Juventus substitutes entered the game. They took their positions in defense and midfield, thus changing Juventus' playing formation into a 5-4-1 system.

With the addition of the two pairs of fresh legs, the Juventus team quickly settled down. They became even more solid in defense and midfield, with more capacity to absorb more pressure. They continued playing a defensive game, with all players falling back into their half to protect their two-goal advantage during the remaining minutes.

Of course, Real Madrid didn't go down without fighting. The Los Blancos started playing long balls and crosses to their strikers in the box to bypass the overwhelming numbers in Juventus' midfield and defense. Aside from that, the midfielders, like Toni Kroos and Isco, also began trying their luck with shots from way outside the eighteen, hoping that the keeper would spill the ball and present a chance to score to one of their forwards.

They were really going out to get a goal and get back into the game during the final minutes. But try as they had, Real couldn't breach Juventus' impenetrable backline. Most of their attempts went wide, while the ever-reliable Buffon calmly dealt with the ones that somehow found the target.

In that manner, the minutes passed, and the 90th minute approached. By then, the Juventus players, including Zachary and Tevez, were already in the zone, playing a true-blue Italian defensive game.

They held possession when possible, fell back when needed, wasted time when there was an opportunity, and avoided the temptation of doing something as needless as launching more attacks. They remained disciplined and continued seeing out the final embers of the quarter-final with minimal fuss.

Eventually, the five minutes of added time also elapsed, and the referee finally blew the long-awaited whistle. And with that, the Juventus players finally sealed the deal and won the 2014/15 Champions League quarter-final with an aggregate score of 4:2.

They had taken another step toward achieving European glory, and that left all their fans beyond themselves with excitement.