THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME
chapter-605

Barcelona's 5th-minute goal didn't unsettle Juventus' game plan. The Italian giants remained patient and defensive while waiting for chances to counterattack. But in so doing, they allowed Barcelona to continue dominating possession.

The Barcelona players were really on fire after scoring the early opening goal. They continued avoiding Barcelona's midfield while repeatedly utilizing the spaces on the flanks to advance the ball out of the final third. Their Tiki-taka was as potent as ever as they went at Juventus with everything they got.

But, like with every football match, even the best of teams could commit some mistakes. Even the best players could misplace a pass or two, or fail to dribble past an opponent, thereby gifting possession to the opponent. That was what happened during the 16th minute of gameplay.

Andrés Iniesta, Barcelona's captain, worked his magic and found Neymar with a through ball to an advanced position on the left wing. However, the Brazilian winger tried to dribble past Stephan Lichtsteiner and failed miserably. A sliding tackle from the Juventus right-back robbed him of the ball, and he ended up gifting possession to Juventus.

What followed was a fierce counterattack by Juventus. Claudio Marchisio, one of Juventus' three defensive midfielders, reacted immediately. He collected the loose ball and swiftly passed it to Arturo Vidal, his counterpart in midfield.

Arturo Vidal was like a magician on the ball at that juncture. He took a well-timed first touch to step past Ivan Rakiti?, the Barcelona midfielder harassing him, before unleashing a pass forward to find Zachary.

Zachary felt his heart pumping hard as he met the ball from Vidal close to the center circle. He collected it on a half-turn before spinning around and facing towards Barcelona's side of the pitch.

Of course, the Barcelona players didn't allow him the freedom to advance the ball. Sergio Busquets, Barcelona's defensive midfielder, swiftly rushed forward to close him down. The midfielder came in all guns blazing, knowing full well that Juventus' counterattack would become deadly if Zachary took a few steps into Barcelona's half.

Zachary, on his part, didn't panic as he watched Busquets closing him down. He stepped over the ball once and leaned to the left as if wishing to rush past Sergio Busquets in that direction. But just as the opponent began reacting, he suddenly halted his bodily motion halfway.

Zachary's SS-graded balance, coordination, and dribbling skills bloomed in full splendor. He deftly altered his center of gravity and abruptly shifted to the right. He then increased his speed and carried the ball via Sergio Busquets' opposite side to complete his incredible dribble.

Of course, Sergio Busquets didn't let him go as a final was on the line. The Barcelona midfielder swiftly whirled around and tried to take Zachary down by grabbing and pulling his shirt.

But who was Zachary? He was a player who had gotten used to such situations while playing against the most ruthless defenders in the Italian League.

He relied on his experience to wiggle his body out of the way and bend forward. In so doing, he dodged Sergio Busquets and continued advancing the fierce counterattack towards Barcelona's half at a lightning-fast pace.

What followed was a display of Zachary's sprinting abilities. He cut through the pitch like a thunderbolt and jumped over a tackle from Javier Mascherano as he continued approaching the box.

As expected, Gerard Piqué, Barcelona's center-back, finally rushed forward to check his run after he entered the final third. Nonetheless, Zachary chose not to tango with the center back. He instead waited and waited for the defender to approach before executing his move. He unleashed the ball to his left at the right moment to find Carlos Tevez, the Juventus striker, who had made a timely move past the defensive line.

Olympiastadion, the famous stadium of Berlin, exploded with cheers as Carlos Tevez controlled the ball mid-stride with acres of unmarked space ahead of him. The Argentine striker wasted no time before driving forward like the wind towards Barcelona's box.

Marc-André Ter Stegen, the Barcelona keeper, rushed out of goal to meet him at the edge of the box. The keeper timed his move well to block all the shooting angles and force Tevez to drift further to the right..

But Tevez didn't give up as a rare opportunity to score an equalizer for Juventus was before him. He used his speed and footwork to rush past the keeper before unleashing an effort toward Barcelona's goal from a very tight angle.

A momentary silence descended upon the pitch as the ball drifted forward, on course towards the back of the net. But just at the last moment, before it could cross the line, a silhouette slid in and intercepted the effort.

The Barcelona player who had acted was Dani Alves. The Brazilian rushed in, skidding as if the laws of physics didn't apply to him, before raising his boot and kicking the ball away. He made a timely interception to save Barcelona from conceding the equalizing goal during the 17th minute and sent the ball flying towards the left side of the box.

"Shit!"

Both Zachary and Tevez reacted to seeing such an unexpected result. They didn't lose any second before racing towards the ball. They hoped to collect it and resume the attack against Barcelona's goal right away.

However, all their efforts amounted to nothing as Gerard Piqué, the Barcelona center-back, beat them to the ball. The Barcelona man smashed it with zest and cleared it away from his half. He sent it flying like a surface-to-surface missile toward the right side of the pitch.

"Hurry and fall back! Shape up and defend…"

Massimiliano Allegri's panicked voice sounded from the sidelines at that moment. The Italian coach spewed words at the pace of a machine gun, calling for his players to shape up and avoid Barcelona's counterattack.

But alas, the Juventus players were not supersonic racing machines. They had all advanced forward to attack Barcelona's half and couldn't regain their defensive shape immediately. They could only struggle to run back into their positions as Lionel Messi connected with the long ball from Gerard Piqué in an advanced position on the right flank.

The counterattack was on for Barcelona, and Messi didn't waste the rare opportunity. He effortlessly collected the ball before driving forward like a Formula One driver on the race track.

The Argentine used a combination of his footwork and brilliant change of pace to dribble past Claudio Marchisio. He then skipped past a sliding challenge from Leonardo Bonucci before penetrating the box from the right side.

The experienced Gianluigi Buffon rushed out of goal to stop the attack. But Lionel Messi remained composed and did his magic. He dipped his shoulder and skipped past Buffon with his signature change of pace before threading the ball towards the goal from a tight angle. He effortlessly found the back of the net to score Barcelona's second goal for the night.

It was only the 18th minute of the UEFA Champions League final. But Barcelona was already leading by two goals to nil. For sure, Juventus was in crisis.

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