THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME
chapter-594

"GOAAAAL!" Fabio Crudeli, the commentator, yelled at the top of his voice in concert with the thunderous cheers around the stadium. "It's Juventus two and Lazio zero. A well-worked-out counter that saw the ball move from the keeper to Zachary and finally to Fernando Llorente allowed them to extend their lead during the 17th minute. They are now firmly in the driving seat in this Coppa Italia semi-final."

"Why do I have the feeling that the referee somehow helped Juventus," David Ferrini, the other commentator, said. "He delayed Zachary's return until Lazio failed to convert their attack. Then, he waved Zachary on before the Lazio players could reshape up in defense and gifted him the perfect opportunity to advance the counter."

Fabio Crudeli chuckled. "But Zachary's absence also allowed Lazio to dominate the previous few minutes of the game. So, you could also say that the referee directly helped Lazio by delaying Zachary's return."

David Ferrini nodded. "Zachary seems to have recovered well after facing that tackle from Danilo Cataldi. His speed and brilliance on the ball are as great as ever. He worked hard to keep the ball from Marco Storari in play before driving toward the box and finding Fernando Llorente with a pin-point pass. Fernando Llorente completed the counter with a tap into the back of the net to score Juventus' second goal. But I think eighty percent of the credit for the goal should go to Zachary."

"True," Fabio Crudeli said. "He looked as dangerous as ever while cutting in from the left flank. Let's hope he will do the same when he plays against Barcelona in the Champions League finals two and a half weeks later."

The game restarted after the celebrations with a Lazio kick-off.

The Lazio men connected a few passes, hoping to maintain possession and settle down after conceding the goal. But the Juventus players gave them no time to build anything on the field.

The men in the striped black and white jerseys worked harder than ever immediately after the restart. They high-pressed the opponents and put them under immense pressure with their untiring runs. Eventually, they forced them to play the ball long towards Juventus' side of the field during the 21st minute.

Andrea Barzagli, one of the Juventus center-backs, immediately took action and received the ball deep in Juventus' half. Then, without hesitating, he fed it into the middle to find Claudio Marchisio, who had floated into an unmarked pocket of space outside the center circle.

Claudio Marchisio worked with urgency after receiving the ball. He took only a single touch before playing it into the left wing to find Patrice Evra, who had long initiated a spirited run towards Lazio's side of the field.

The ever-tenacious Evra didn't disappoint. He leaped and chested the ball to the ground without any pressure. He then drove along the touchline and penetrated Lazio's half before coming across an obstacle in the form of Danilo Cataldi, one of Lazio's defensive midfielders.

Evra confidently fed the ball forward before trying to go around from the other side. But before the Frenchman could realize his plan, the already-charged Danilo Cataldi slid in with merciless impetus and tackled him with a two-legged tackle.

"Aahhh!"

Patrice Evra immediately let out a painful gasp as he tumbled to the ground. He rolled around a few times while holding his ankle.

"Ref!" Giorgio Chiellini, the acting captain, rushed towards the referee and held out his two fingers. "This is the second time Danilo is endangering the safety of our players. The first time, he almost took Zachary out of the game. Now, we don't know whether he has injured Evra. For how long will you allow this to go on..."

Giorgio Chiellini stopped midsentence as something else had transpired at the scene of the tackle. Patrice Evra had just picked himself from the ground before shoving away Danilo Cataldi, the player who had just brought him to the ground with a two-legged lunge.

Danilo Cataldi was also not to be outdone. He returned the favor by bumping his chest against Evra and thus began the period of chaos on the pitch.

The other players from both teams rushed to the scene and involved themselves in the messy confusion. Some went forward to hold Evra and Danilo back, while others joined in on the pushing and shoving. Shit had gone down quickly, and the fight had escalated.

Upon seeing all this, the referee didn't lose a second before running past Giorgio Chiellini and hurrying to the scene to stop the fight. The linesmen also rushed in from the sidelines and started working hard to separate the players involved in the scuffle. Fortunately, their efforts bore fruit, and order returned to the pitch in less than a minute.

But what was unfortunate for the players was that the ref didn't just stop at stopping the fight. He instead exchanged a few words with the linesman before walking back to the scene and delivering a yellow card to Patrice Evra, who had initiated the fight. Then, as a final act, he showed the second yellow card to Danillo, followed by a red card, before signaling the player to walk off the pitch.

The Juventus fans immediately cheered to celebrate the red card decision, especially since Danilo was the same player who almost took Zachary, their team's playmaker, out of the game a few minutes prior. Besides, they were also delighted by the red card since they would play the rest of the game with a numerical advantage.

As for the Lazio supporters, they were in a gloomy mood. Most booed the referee, while others started walking towards the stadium's exit. Their expressions plainly expressed what they felt. They couldn't stomach their team's performance in the Coppa Italia finals. They were fed up with the game.

"It's just the 23rd minute," Fabio Crudeli, the commentator, remarked. "But we've already had enough drama in the game, and the Lazio fans are beginning to exit the stadium. What a superheated final we're having on our hands! Do you think the referee was right to show Danilo a red card?"

"I think the answer is yes," David Ferrini, the other commentator, replied. "Danilo has played a rough game tonight. He first took down Zachary and got himself a yellow card during the 11th minute. Then, just now, during the 21st minute, he has again taken down Patrice Evra with a two-legged lunge. Not counting his involvement in the scuffle, I think the two fouls are enough to gain him a red card sending off."

"True!" Fabio Crudeli agreed. "The Lazio side is now down to ten men in this Coppa Italia final. They will have to play the remaining sixty-plus minutes with a numerical disadvantage. Do you think they can put up a fight against Juventus and still salvage something out of this game?"

"To be honest," David Ferrini said, "I think they don't have a chance. Let's not forget that they failed to sustain any pressure against Juventus when they still had eleven men on the playing field. Now that they are down to ten, they need prayers and all the luck they can get to avoid a thorough smashing in this Coppa Italia final."

The game had just recommenced with the Juventus players taking the free-kick short. Andrea Barzagli had just taken it and played the ball to Leonardo Bonucci, his counterpart in defense, to kickstart another period of dominance by Juventus.

Even with the clear advantage of two goals, the Old Lady players didn't step on their brakes. They repeatedly arrayed themselves into their 3-5-2-flat formation and relied on their numerical advantage to sustain pressure on Lazio. They continuously utilized slow build-ups to set the tempo in their defense and midfield before trying to create goal-scoring opportunities with sudden through balls.

The Lazio players, on their part, had reacted by falling back into their half to defend. They had already parked the bus containing all their field players before their goal, hoping to prevent Juventus from doing any more damage against them. They were defending as a team, clearly not wishing to concede another goal before halftime.

But could their efforts save them against the flying Juventus? The answer was obvious, especially when Patrice Evra and Stephan Lichtsteiner, the two wing-backs, started making much more daring overlaps through the flanks.

The two players repeatedly connected with passes from Zachary and the other Juventus midfielders before making spirited runs towards the other side of the pitch. Their wing-play on the night was exceptional, and they continuously sent crosses towards the box, hoping to find Carlos Tevez and Fernando Llorente, Juventus' two strikers. They didn't rest on their laurels until they created another goal-scoring chance during the 32nd minute.

The opportunity began with a curling cross from Patrice Evra, which flew into the area. Carlos Tevez, one of the Juventus strikers, escaped the harassment of the Lazio defenders and connected with the cross on the volley to unleash a shot towards the goal. However, his effort smashed off the post before floating towards the right side of the box.

Arturo Vidal, who was lurking nearby, immediately pounced towards the ball. He controlled it well and quickly unleashed a chip towards Fernando Llorente, the Juventus striker still lurking in the box. However, lady luck seemed to not be on the striker's side, and one of the defenders cleared the ball before he could get his head on it.

The just-cleared ball then flew through the air before descending and bouncing around the arc of the eighteen-yard box. It was at that point that the waiting Zachary took action. He met it on a volley and blasted it back towards the goal. His leg power and shooting technique worked wonders, and his thunderous effort straightaway beat the keeper and found the top right corner. He raised his arms to celebrate as he had just scored the 3rd goal for Juventus during the 33rd minute.