THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME

Carlos Tévez could literally feel his heart hammering like a drum as he beat the offside trap and connected with Andrea Pirlo's defense-splitting pass. He was obviously aware that only less than 25 minutes remained before the 90-minute-mark. So, he was determined to do all it took to utilize the opportunity and put his team ahead before it was too late.

"Whoosh!"

Like a lightning bolt, he cut through the drizzle, his short strides eating up yards of space toward the goal like mad. His level of focus had already reached its zenith, allowing him to remain composed as he prodded the ball forward. And when he noticed the keeper stepping forward to meet him, he squared his body before trying to chip the ball into the inside of the far post.

But alas, luck wasn't on Tévez's side that day. Marco Sportiello, the Atalanta shot-stopper, was alert again. He brushed the ball with his fingertips, thus sending it off its intended trajectory. As a result, it could only smash off the post before bouncing back into the field of play.

"Damn it!"

Carlos Tévez cursed out loud and immediately reacted. He pounced towards the bouncing ball with all the zest he could muster. However, all his efforts were still in vain as an Atalanta defender swept the ball out of play to clear the danger before he could reach it. The Argentine could only place his hands behind his head after missing yet another clear opportunity to put his team ahead during the 67th minute. He was disappointed with himself.

"Don't mind! Don't mind! Let's stay focused and continue attacking. I'm sure that we'll score."

Tévez could not help but tremble after hearing Zachary's familiar voice sounding within his ear. His despondency immediately disappeared, and a yearning to score and make up for his missed opportunities swelled within him. He was once again ready to rumble and destroy the opponents.

"Thanks for the encouragement," he said, turning towards Zachary. "I needed that."

Zachary smiled and nodded back. "We all can miss sometimes," he said. "But what matters is to get our act together and score the next time."

A strange expression surfaced on Tévez's face after hearing Zachary's statement. But he immediately utilized his sleeve to cover it up while wiping the precipitation off his face. On the inside, however, weird thoughts were racing through his mind.

"We all miss sometimes!" He wondered. "How come I don't remember you ever missing a one-on-one with the keeper? Are you mocking me?" The Argentine shook his head, once again feeling frustrated.

"We need to get ready for the corner," Zachary said from beside him again.

"Yeah, yeah," Tévez agreed with a smile. "Let's get ready for the corner." He looked like an exemplary teammate consenting to his colleague's suggestion. But within his mind, he was thinking something else, "This bastard must enjoy poking fun at me whenever I miss an opportunity. I have to score more goals than him this season. Otherwise, his smirk would drive me insane if he were to bag more goals than me."

Tévez harbored no ill will against Zachary. In fact, he respected the young maestro and was happy to be on the same team as him. But that didn't mean he would sit back and let the 19-year-old run the show for Juventus. Tévez was also competitive by nature. He desired to score more goals and help his team win trophies before he retired. And that drove him to give more than a hundred percent during every match of the just-commenced Serie A season.

*FWEEEEEEE*

The referee finally blew the whistle to signal the taking of the corner kick after arranging the players in the box. The next moment, the cheers around the stadium hit another thunderous zenith as Andrea Pirlo, the Italian maestro, sent forth a lofted ball into the crowded box from the corner arc.

It was another chance for Juventus to try for an opening goal, and of course, most players went into action. Carlos Tévez ran toward the near post and tried to connect with the incoming ball. However, his height betrayed him, and he couldn't get to it. Then, Leonardo Bonucci also tried but also failed due to harassment from an opposing defender. And finally, it was Zachary's turn to act.

"Whoosh!"

Zachary pushed off the ground and rose into the air with unstoppable momentum. He battled an Atalanta center-back for aerial superiority before angling his head and directing the incoming ball toward the top right corner. The CR7 Aerial-finishing Juju bloomed in splendor, and his well-placed effort easily beat the keeper and nestled into the back of the net.

"GOAL!" Zachary yelled out loud after descending back to the ground. At long last, he had managed to break the deadlock and put his team ahead during the 69th minute. He couldn't contain his delight and rushed toward the touchline to celebrate with his coaches and teammates.

"This bastard has some dog shit luck," Tévez thought as he chased after Zachary to celebrate the goal. "He has scored another goal from a corner kick. Damn!"

The Argentine was complaining inwardly. But he was also relieved since his team was finally in the lead. He had been feeling the pressure, especially after missing two one-on-ones with the keeper. But after Zachary scored, he felt like he had unloaded a weight off his shoulders. He could finally concentrate on the game without any burdens weighing down his mind.

****  ****

Atalanta BC 0 : Juventus FC 1

****  ****

Diego Simeone, the head coach of Atletico Madrid, was watching the game between Atalanta and Juventus on a screen in his office in Madrid, Spain. Beside him were his two assistants - Germán Burgos and Juan Vizcaíno, who were also following the Serie A match. The three men were obviously not supporters of Juventus. But they were only doing research to prepare for Atletico Madrid's Champions League face-off against the Italian giants.

The diffuse light from the 50-inch flat-screen lit up Diego Simeone's face and highlighted the frown outlining his facial features. He was getting more worried, especially after assessing Zachary's and Andrea Pirlo's performances during the game. They were the playmakers for Juventus and would surely give his team a hard time come Wednesday night.

"We must find a way to prevent Zachary and Andrea Pirlo from creating chances for Juventus," he said to his assistants beside him. "Otherwise, Juventus will tear us apart on Wednesday."

"I agree," Germán Burgos, one of his assistants, said. "Andrea Pirlo is the deep-lying playmaker and can create goal-scoring opportunities out of nothing with his long passes. On the other hand, Zachary is the attacking pivot. He's a brilliant player who will cause problems for our defense during the game. We need to stop both of...."

The assistant coach stopped mid-sentence after realizing that there was another development in the game. He pushed the distracting thoughts out of his mind and started following the commentary and the action on the screen.

"It's Zachary on the ball," the commentator's voice sounded through the speakers. "He dribbles past one and jumps past another. He's approaching Atalanta's box at breakneck speed..."

Diego Simeone was also following the action while holding his breath. The coach got goosebumps all over his body as he watched Zachary wiggle and dance through a group of opponents. Then, like a magician, the young footballer sidestepped past an opposing defensive midfielder and continued bearing down on Atalanta's box like a raging Tsunami. He created ample space to work with the ball and then unleashed a missile toward the goal from outside the box.

"Zachary takes his chances from thirty yards away," the commentator's voice continued making its way into the ears of the three men. "He shoots. He finds the back of the net. Goal! That was a beauty from the 19-year-old playmaker. He has extended Juventus' lead against Atalanta to two goals during the 88th minute. It's now Atalanta zero and Juventus two. The Old Lady is surely in charge..."

Diego Simeone's frown deepened. He immediately picked up the remote and lowered the volume of the screen. In the meantime, his mind was racing and working at full throttle. But he still couldn't find ways to simultaneously contain Zachary and Andrea Pirlo, especially if both playmakers were at the top of their game.

"Why don't we treat them like how we treat Real Madrid and Barcelona?" Juan Vizcaíno, the other coaching assistant, suggested. "We play a defensive game against Juventus while waiting for opportunities. As for Zachary and Pirlo, we can tell the boys to be extra physical with them. I'm sure they won't be able to find their best rhythm if we rough them up a few times."

Diego Simeone sighed. "The first plan is okay as Juventus is a much stronger team than us, especially in midfield. We'll have to play defensively against them to get a result. However, roughing up Zachary and Pirlo might cause problems for us."

"Why?" Juan Vizcaíno questioned. "Is it because of Zachary's free kicks?"

Diego Simeone nodded. "The boy's conversion rate is insane. We can't gift him free kicks near our box."

"I think we need someone to watch him throughout the game," Germán Burgos said. "We need a player who's quick and versatile on the ball and with a lot of stamina to mark him."

"Like Saúl Ñíguez or Koke?" Juan Vizcaíno asked.

"I think Ñíguez would fit the role better," Diego Simeone supplied. "His athleticism and game-reading abilities are impressive. He should be able to keep up with Zachary throughout the match."

Juan Vizcaíno nodded, and the three men continued discussing various strategies they could employ against Juventus for a few more minutes. They only ended their talk after the game on screen ended with Juventus still leading by two goals to nil.

****  ****