THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME
chapter-585

Juventus FC 4: Borussia Dortmund 1

The stadium's jumbotron showed a fresh score when the game resumed with Dortmund's kick-off. The mood became more electric, with the Juventus fans continuously cheering at the top of their lungs as the match continued. It was like party time in the Juventus Stadium, with the fans already celebrating their likely qualification for the UEFA Champions League final.

"Juve...We're finalists," The zealous supporters shouted again and again. They sang while jumping up and down like little kids who had just received their favorite birthday presents. They couldn't suppress their joy as their team was already leading by a score of 4:1 in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final against Borussia Dortmund.

In the meantime, the game had taken a strange turn.

The 4th goal was like the last straw that broke the camel's back in the case of Borussia Dortmund. It sapped the life out of the players of the German-based team and caused them to lose the fighting spirit and momentum they had just gained during the second half. Their football turned chaotic without organized tactics, and they started committing many mistakes on the playing field.

Jürgen Klopp, the head coach of Borussia Dortmund, yelled and yelled repeatedly, hoping to use his passionate shouts to re-energize his players. But his boys seemed oblivious to his efforts. They continued playing hopeless football and showed very little zeal to accomplish anything on the playing field.

Under the urging of their coach, the on-form Juventus players obviously didn't miss the signs. They swarmed forward and took advantage of Borussia Dortmund's laxity to go on the offensive. They started playing faster and faster passes through the middle while, at times, unleashing sudden through balls toward their two men on the striking line.

As the game approached the 70th minute, the game became even more one-sided, with Juventus becoming increasingly more dominant on the playing field.

In particular, the Juventus midfielders, like Zachary, Arturo Vidal, Claudio Marchisio, and the substitute - Roberto Pereyra, played the football of their lives. Their intricate exchange of passes and brilliant usage of space in the middle allowed Juventus to set a blistering tempo against the German outfit. They outwitted the Borussia Dortmund midfielders and began creating more goal-scoring chances.

Juventus' hard work first showed signs of bearing fruits again during the 74th minute, when Zachary dribbled past Ilkay Gündogan and broke into the final third with yet another penetrating run. Zachary then tried his luck from 32 yards away and unleashed a missile of a shot towards the goal. But the keeper saved his effort, and the score remained 4:1 in favor of Juventus.

Two minutes later, during the 76th minute, Juventus got another clear chance when Fernando Llorente, the substitute striker, got to the end of a cross from Patrice Evra. Llorente outwitted Dortmund's lax defense and dispatched a header towards the goal from around the penalty spot. But like before, luck wasn't on Juventus' side, and the ball smashed off the post before heading out of play.

The missed chance didn't discourage the Juventus players, who were already brimming with killing intent. They continued playing direct offensive football to force their opponents into more dire straits until they got a breakthrough during the 81st minute.

Everything started with Stephan Lichtsteiner, Juventus' right-back for the day. He played brilliantly on the right flank and beat Marcel Schmelzer, the Dortmund right-back. Lichtsteiner left the opposing defender in the dust and raced forward before unleashing a curling cross towards the box.

In the box, the lurking Fernando Llorente went into action. He rose from the ground and met the cross from Lichtsteiner with a well-timed header. He effortlessly outwitted the Dortmund defenders and guided the ball toward the goal.

However, the keeper reacted on time and punched the effort back into the pitch. The nearby Mats Hummels completed the defensive play by sweeping the ball away from the box and sending it toward the center of the pitch.

Leonardo Bonucci, the Juventus center-back who had been playing so high up the pitch during the past few minutes, collected the cleared ball. He effortlessly brought it to the ground with his chest before feeding it into the left wing to find Patrice Evra, Juventus' left-back for the day.

Patrice Evra also worked with urgency. He took a single touch before squaring the ball to Roberto Pereyra in the middle.

Roberto Pereyra also received it and played a first-time pass to Arturo Vidal, his counterpart in midfield.

Arturo Vidal continued the fluid passing football by immediately playing the ball to Zachary, who had floated into a narrow pocket of space before the box.

Zachary rushed forward as if about to collect the ball while taking note that Sokratis Papastathopoulos, the Dortmund defender, was on his heels. He raised his leg as if he was about to control it. But at the very last instant, he stopped his actions and let it pass under his foot.

Zachary's 'no-touch' brilliant play took Sokratis Papastathopoulos out of the equation and allowed the lurking Fernando Llorente to collect the ball unmarked. The Juventus forward wasted no time taking another touch before hammering the ball past the keeper and into the back of the net to score Juventus' 5th goal on the night during the 82nd minute.

The score was then 5:1 in favor of Juventus. But the home team didn't put a foot on the braking pedal. Buoyed by the thunderous support from their fans, they continued launching even more attacks until they created another opportunity late in the game during the 91st minute.

Once again, Zachary worked the magic in the middle of the field when a passing mistake by Nuri Sahin, Dortmund's defensive midfielder, allowed him to collect a loose ball close to the border of the final third. He didn't waste a second before playing a forward ball toward the left side of the box, right into the sprinting path of Roberto Pereyra, his counterpart in midfield.

Roberto Pereyra seemed to be having a time of his life on the playing field. He timely beat the offside trap and connected with the inviting pass from Zachary.

Without losing his composure, he left Lukasz Piszczek, Dortmund's right-back, in the dust and drove into the box with a terrifying pace. He squared his body and chipped the ball over the approaching keeper to score Juventus' 6th goal on the night during the 91st minute.

The score was then 6:1 in favor of Juventus, and the home team players finally started showing signs of fatigue. They slowed down the tempo and started playing pointless possession football until the referee blew the final whistle after four minutes of added time.

Proceedings had finally come to a close. The Juventus players were all over the moon in delight after showcasing a football masterclass against Borussia Dortmund in the crucial first leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-final fixture. They were all smiles as they had already secured a five-goal advantage before heading into the second leg in Germany.

Zachary, on his part, was also in a good mood.

Yes, he hadn't scored, which was a bit unfortunate. But he was still content with being involved in all the goals and providing five assists during the just-concluded game. A grin was already outlining his face as he went around the pitch to thank the Juventus fans while at times stopping to hug his teammates.

"Mr. Klopp! What exactly happened out there? Why was it so easy for Juventus to play through your boys?" A reporter asked Jürgen Klopp during the post-match press conference.

Jürgen Klopp sighed and shook his head. "Honestly, I'm not sure myself. We started the game okay and even got ourselves a crucial away goal early. But after that, we seemed to switch off, and everything started going downhill. We allowed their midfielders a lot of freedom. And since they had a player as brilliant as Zachary Bemba overseeing things, they effortlessly punished us. The result is a 6:1 score in their favor."

"Speaking of Zachary," the reporter said, "He didn't score. But he was the best player on the pitch. He was involved in most crucial plays and even provided five assists that resulted in goals. Didn't you have any strategy to contain him at the beginning of the game?"

On hearing the question, Jürgen Klopp sighed and shook his head again. "All I can say is that Juventus was far better than us on the field of play. They showcased a football master class and outwitted us in many areas of the field. We also didn't do enough and allowed their players, like Zachary and Tevez, to punish us. That's why the score ended 6:1 in favor of Juventus."

"One last question," the reporter said before Klopp could walk away. "Do you think you still have a chance to overturn the result when Juventus visits you in Germany next week?"

"Of course," Jürgen Klopp replied. "The chance is obviously slim. But as a professional football team, we will do everything possible to grab it. We'll fight until the very end. And even if we fail, we won't have any regrets since we'll have already done our best to overturn this terrible first-leg score."

"Well, thank you, sir, for answering my questions," the reporter said. "I wish you all the best in your upcoming matches."

Jürgen Klopp nodded and turned to leave. He was in a hurry, maybe to meet his players.