THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME Chapter 337

Published at 29th of July 2022 07:04:59 AM

Chapter 337: An Unexpected Occurrence
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Chapter 337 An Unexpected Occurrence　　Coach Johansen's mood was still agitated as he followed the game from the technical area after the goal celebrations. Every time he remembered the run made by Zachary through the middle and his efficient side-stepping skills, his heart would palpitate. And when he recalled the goal itself, his lips would curl into a smile. He was simply like an excited kid who'd just received his favorite Christmas present.

However, he soon forced himself to calm down when he continued watching the game. As a coach, he understood that his players still had a lot of work to do if they wished to attain a result from the fixture.

Juventus was a team that grew stronger as they settled into the game. Thus, he wanted his players to do their best in the first fifteen minutes to widen the margin before the Italian giants raised their tempo and started attacking fiercely.

"Guys!" He yelled at the top of his voice after the ball went out of play for another Juventus throw-in. "Mark every opponent in our half. Don't let them receive the ball without any pressure. Zachary, Alexander, Tobias, and Nicki! Stay on your toes and be ready to counterattack at any time. We need another goal as soon as possible." His instructions were in Norwegian since he didn't want the nearby Antonio Conte to understand his words.

*FWEEEEEEE*

The referee soon blew the whistle, signaling the Juventus players to take their throw-in. Mauricio Isla, Juventus' right-midfielder, took a few steps towards the touchline before throwing the ball to Andrea Pirlo.

For that game, Pirlo was, of course, playing as a deep-lying playmaker. So, he'd been occupying the positions close to the center circle in the other half, far away from Rosenborg's box. Yet, when he received the ball at that moment, it only took him a split second to spot a gap that could have taken other players a lifetime to notice. And before any Rosenborg players could close him down, he unleashed a hell-of-pass towards the other side, where Carlos Tévez was lurking.

In just a few seconds, the Italian playmaker had induced a switch in play and initiated a dangerous attack on Rosenborg's box by relying on his phenomenal passing skills. He was simply like a sniper who could puncture a hole into Rosenborg's defense from anywhere on the pitch, no matter the distance.

Coach Johansen's heart leaped to his throat as he watched the beast of a striker - Carlos Tévez connecting with Pirlo's pin-point pass close to the edge of the box. Before the Rosenborg players could react, the dangerous forward let loose a terrifying shot that zoomed towards the goal like a ballistic missile.

However, the next moment, Coach Johansen relaxed when he saw Daniel Örlund, Rosenborg's keeper, rising to the occasion to punch the ball out of play. With a double-handed diving save, the keeper had denied Juventus a chance to score and equalize proceedings in the 11th minute.

*FWEEEEEEE*

The referee immediately blew the whistle and pointed toward the corner flag.

"Nicki!" Coach Johansen shouted in Norwegian as the players were readying themselves for the corner kick. "Whenever we don't have the ball, make sure you mark that Andrea Pirlo tightly. Watch him closely, and don't allow him to unleash those long-range passes towards the box. Do you hear me?"

"Alright, coach," Nicki Nielsen yelled back, raising his thumb slightly to indicate that he'd gotten the message.

Coach Johansen nodded and then turned towards the other half. He immediately noticed Andrea Pirlo walking towards the corner flag to take the set-piece, and his mood sunk into the abyss of agitation again.

He'd already done his research before the game. So, he understood how good a set-piece taker the Italian Maestro was. Whether it was a corner or a free kick, Pirlo would find his intended target more times than not. He would either pick out a teammate with much ease or send the ball into the back of the net.

However, since it was a corner kick, Coach Johansen didn't have to worry about Pirlo scoring directly. His players only needed to mark the Juventus players in the box, and everything would turn out fine.

"Guys!" He started yelling again while clapping his hands. "Mark everyone in the box tightly. Takumi! Mark the space in front of our box. Don't allow the opponents to shoot any rebounds towards our goal after the corner..."

For the next few seconds, his words resounded across the field. He paced the entire length of the technical area as he tried to organize his team. He only stopped yelling after noticing that his players had understood his instructions and put them into effect.

*FWEEEEEEE*

The referee suddenly blew the whistle after arranging the players of both teams in the box. Andrea Pirlo immediately floated the corner ball into the area, trying to find one of his teammates.

Since it was a dangerous moment for his team, Coach Johansen couldn't stop his heart from racing. He watched with bated breath as Daniel Osvaldo, the Juventus forward, rose into the air to meet the ball before planting a header towards the goal.

His edgy heart only returned to its rightful place within his chest when the ball hit a snag in the form of Yerry Mina the next moment. The tall Colombian had positioned himself well to block the effort. However, his block was just by reflex. So, the ball didn't travel far and dropped towards the edge of the box.

But Rosenborg was fortunate once again as Takumi Minamino was marking the space in front of the area. The Japanese guy intercepted the ball with ease before smashing it hurriedly towards the other side of the pitch with all his strength.

By reflex, Coach Johansen's eyes followed the ball's trajectory high up into the air for a moment. But the next instant, his peripheral vision picked out a silhouette in a pure-black jersey racing after the ball flying through the air.

"Eh!"

Coach Johansen was stunned and immediately turned his focus to the silhouette. His hopes sored immediately, especially after noticing that the player chasing after the ball was Zachary, with speed akin to that of a race car.

"Will he make it?" Coach Johansen wondered, his focus repeatedly alternating between Zachary's sprinting form and the ball high up in the air.

Suddenly, the ball reached its apex trajectory and soon began its sharp descent back to the ground. Its velocity suddenly increased during the drop under the earth's gravity. Before long, it was almost bouncing on the green in the center circle.

Anyone on the pitch expected one of the Juventus players to control it immediately and prevent it from bouncing. However, at that moment, there was a little bit of hesitancy among the Juventus players marking the centerline.

For a moment, the two players - Martín Cáceres and Claudio Marchisio both looked at each other, probably thinking that the other would handle the descending ball. But that moment of hesitation was all Zachary needed to cover another five or six yards.

The Rosenborg number-8 exploded forth with momentum and was soon upon the position of the descending ball. It was then that Claudio Marchisio reacted and went to tackle the ball, probably hoping to save the situation. However, his reaction was just a tad too late to defend against a highly-clinical player like Zachary.

Right at the moment when the Juventus midfielder's boot was making first contact with the ball, Zachary was upon him, all guns blazing like an assassin going in for a kill. The boy prodigy then immediately blocked the effort by the midfielder to clear the ball with an outstretched boot before taking off towards Juventus' box like the wind.

Coach Johansen immediately started the motion of raising his arms into the air as he watched his playmaker approaching the keeper at breakneck speed. The coach could feel his heart beating like a drum as Zachary executed a couple of side-steps, probably intending to confuse and evade the keeper before scoring.

However, just then, something unexpected happened. Gianluigi Buffon, the Juventus keeper, committed himself to a full dive to tackle the ball from Zachary's feet. But in so doing, he grabbed Zachary's left leg and brought him to the ground right inside the edge of the penalty box.

Maybe, it was due to Zachary's deft side-stepping skills or his swift speed — the experienced Juventus captain had just made a mistake and committed a last-man foul within the area. Moreover, he had committed that foul very early in the match, only during the 14th minute of gameplay.

The whole incident was unforeseen and not the least bit anticipated by Coach Johansen. So, he was at a loss for words for just a moment while his agitated mind processed the new information. But that was not for long.

"Foul! Penalty!" He suddenly shouted at the top of his lungs, intending to run to the fourth official.

*FWEEEEEEE*

However, the referee was ahead of the coach with his decision. He immediately blew the whistle and pointed to the penalty spot. Yet, his actions didn't just stop there. He soon stepped towards Gianluigi Buffon and showed him a straight red card for committing a last-man foul and denying an attacking player a clear chance to score, especially within the box.

The Juventus players soon started surrounding the referee, probably to protest against the decision. However, he stayed true to his word and turned a deaf ear to their complaints. His decision was final, and he probably wouldn't change it for anything.

Chapter end

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