THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME

*FWEEEEEEE*

A few seconds later, the referee blew the whistle and signaled for the game to restart. Nicki Nielsen, Rosenborg's only center-forward, glanced around before kicking the ball back into his midfield.

Zachary received the ball just outside the center circle with a simple touch. He immediately turned around before passing it further back into his half—towards Thomas Partey, Rosenborg's holding midfielder.

Thomas Partey exhibited a sense of urgency as he connected with the pass. He took a single touch on the ball before kicking it to Mikael Dorsin, Rosenborg's left-back. The latter controlled it well before flicking it to Takumi Minamino, one of Rosenborg's midfielders, who had just run into space in the middle of the field.

Takumi altered his course slightly to connect with the incoming pass. But just as he was about to control the ball, two Benfica players closed him down quickly. They were Enzo Pérez and Miralem Sulejmani. The two of them were like two whirlwinds as they boxed in the young Japanese midfielder from two sides.

However, Takumi didn't lose his composure in the slightest. With the nimblest of touches, he looped the ball over one of the incoming opponents before chesting it to the ground. He glanced up once before unleashing a lofted pass towards the wing to find Zachary Bemba.

Zachary had just drifted out of the midfield to escape the harassment of his bodyguards. He leaped high and controlled the ball with his chest close to the touchline on the right flank. He immediately whirled around and accelerated towards Benfica's half like the wind.

Guilherme Siqueira, the Benfica left-back, soon stepped forward to intercept his run through the flank. The left-back angled his approach and body skillfully to force Zachary towards the sidelines.

However, Zachary remained composed as he kept his eyes on the approaching defender. And when the defender was only about two meters away, Zachary slowed down slightly before executing a couple of side steps followed by a body feint. The defender bought his dummy and stepped to the side.

"Chance!"

Zachary executed an elastico dribble and circumvented the defender from the opposite side. But just as he was about to increase his speed and continue his sprint, he realized that two more Benfica players had blocked his way.

They were Rúben Amorim and André Gomes, who were two of the three players that had been zone marking him ever since the start of the game.

"You're not going anywhere!" Rúben was as vocal as ever as he approached Zachary. "Just give up." The midfielder spread his arms like a basketball player on the defensive as he tried to block Zachary's path.

Zachary, of course, ignored the midfielder's words as all his focus was on how to beat the two opponents before him. He smiled and halted in his tracks before stepping over the ball with his left leg. One of the midfielders bought the dummy, but Zachary still didn't choose to break through the blockade. Instead, he continuously altered his center of gravity while executing a couple of more side steps.

His swift and elegant footwork soon dazzled and disoriented the two opponents. They could only fidget about as their bodies repeatedly shifted from side to side according to the cadence of his step overs. They were obviously having a hard time against him.

After a few more seconds, Rúben, one of the two opponents, seemed like he had had enough of Zachary's nonsense. He stepped forward and stretched out a boot to tackle the ball.

Zachary's smile widened as the midfielder's reaction was what he'd been anticipating. Without losing a moment, he executed an elastico dribble to circumvent the impatient Rúben from the right before whirling around and barely skipping past the tackle from the other opponent.

Zachary breathed a sigh of relief as he'd just managed to get himself out of a tight situation on the right flank. His heart started racing, and adrenaline flooded into his body. He lifted his leg, intending to continue his sprint towards Benfica's box. But just then, he felt a strong tug on his jersey, and he realized that one of the opponents was trying to foul him to stop him from advancing Rosenborg's attack.

"Damn!"

Zachary cursed inwardly without looking back. He continued trying to move forward, intending to shrug off the opponent's grip. But he soon realized that all his efforts were futile since the opponent was shameless enough not to release the jersey even after a few more seconds of tussling.

Zachary stopped his actions and turned around. He was totally incensed when he realized that Rúben Amorim was the opponent who had fouled him. He shoved the guy away and yelled, "What's your problem? Can't you play some sensible football without resorting to these petty tricks?"

"Aaahhh, Ref!"

Rúben cried out loud as he collapsed to the ground. He held on to his chest and squirmed about on the green while creasing his brows. It was as if he was experiencing immense pain. His acting was obviously at the Hollywood level.

*FWEEEEEEE*

The referee blew the whistle as he rushed to the scene. He narrowed his eyes as he checked on Rúben, the midfielder still wriggling about on the ground. The next moment, the referee shook his head and smiled as he took out his cards. He ignored Rúben and stepped toward Zachary before showing him a yellow card.

"What did I do that is deserving of a yellow card?" Zachary complained as a bitter smile outlined his face. "The guy is the one who pulled my jersey and almost tore it from my body. And now, he's just pretending by rolling around on the ground."

"I know," the referee said. "But let's focus on you first. You conducted yourself in an unsportsmanlike manner by pushing your opponent away. That kind of behavior is deserving of a yellow card. If you had remained composed and resisted the urge to shove him away, I would have awarded you a free-kick and penalized him alone. But due to your impulsiveness, you've also received a yellow card."

The referee didn't speak any more needless words. He turned around and waited for Rúben to stand up before showing him a yellow card. He then awarded Rosenborg a free kick for the foul on Zachary.

Zachary shook his head and let loose a bitter sigh as the referee stepped away. He was not in the best of moods since he'd just suffered another injustice for the night. But due to his experience as a professional player, he managed to calm down after taking a few deep breaths.