THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME

Zachary felt anxiety flooding his system as he watched Lars trudge listlessly off the pitch. His heart pounded like it was trying to escape his body when he saw Timo Werner stepping up to take the penalty. The striker had always been clinical in his previous life. There was very little chance he would miss a spot-kick.

As he silently watched the proceedings, he felt beads of sweat trickle down his brow. His throat thickened. He couldn't complain or argue with the referee over the decision, even though he had a sound argument.

He believed the handball had been a ball-to-hand event, but there was nothing he could. The referee had already pointed to the penalty spot. He could only hope Kendrick would pull off a miracle and stop the penalty.

Zachary had never been a religious person. But at that moment, he recited a silent prayer to the Almighty (if there was one) to help NF Academy survive the penalty.

He hoped his team would still go—on to win the final despite being a man down after the red card. He wanted the victory. He needed the Juju-points.

He knew better than to try to give Kendrick, the goalkeeper, any advice on the approach to take against the penalty. That would confuse him instead. He even stayed away from the group of players crowding before NF Academy's eighteen-yard box, choosing to remain close to the middle of the field instead. At that moment, he had to trust his goalkeeper. It was the only thing he could do.

**** ****

In between the goalposts, Kendrick jumped around—along his line. He was waiting for Timo Werner, the VfB Stuttgart top scorer, to take the penalty.

He didn't forget to stare down the striker. Penalty taking was always a clash of wills. However, Timo ignored his antics, choosing to glance at the referee instead.

If Kendrick had to be honest with himself, he would admit he was a bit anxious. NF Academy was going to play with a man down for the remainder of the game. Judging by the way VfB Stuttgart had played from the beginning of the second half, they would significantly increase their chances of winning if they managed to convert the penalty. Kendrick was determined to stop that from happening.

So, he smothered the tiny sliver of anxiety and focused on the ball instead.

Zachary and Paul—his brother, had already done NF Academy a big favor by scoring two goals. It was his turn to do his part and save them from conceding. That was his responsibility as a goalkeeper.

*FWEEEEEEE*

The referee blew the whistle, signaling for Timo Werner to take the penalty.

At that moment, Kendrick had all his attention focused on the forward, trying to gauge the direction the ball would take from his kicking posture.

His knees were bent forward slightly to give himself more spring power when he dived to make the save. He had made sure to spread his arms out wide in an attempt to make himself look 'bigger' in goal.

The fans quieted down, eagerly awaiting the penalty kick.

Timo Werner finally started his short run to the ball. Without giving Kendrick much time to deliberate, he whipped the ball with the top of his right boot.

Kendrick didn't manage to gauge which direction the ball was heading from Timo's kicking posture. So, he made a snap decision to go with his gut.

As soon as Timo Werner's boot made contact with the ball, Kendrick jumped towards his left, fully committing himself to the dive. He fervently hoped the ball would come his way.

The goddess of luck seemed to have favored NF Academy that day. Kendrick smiled midair as he noticed the ball coming straight at him. He'd won the gamble, and all that remained was propelling the ball out of the pitch.

However, it had been traveling so fast that it reached him before he could push out his hands. It hit him on his folded forearms and bounced off to the left side of the eighteen-yard box.

**** ****

Zachary had almost started celebrating after Kendrick made the spectacular save. However, he stopped himself when he noticed the ball had rebounded back into the field of play.

The danger had not yet passed.

Felix Lohkemper, the other VfB Stuttgart forward, came rushing in for the rebound and whipped the ball as he slid to the ground.

Kendrick rose to the occasion once again. With acrobatic flamboyance, the goalkeeper picked himself from the ground—and quickly blocked the shot.

Kasongo pounced on the resulting loose ball and kicked it away from the box. His only intention was to clear it to safety without bothering to control its direction. As a result, it went almost straight towards the edge of the box, where plenty of the VfB Stuttgart players were waiting.

Zachary winced as he watched Kimmich meet the ball around the arc of the box and unleash a missile of a shot back—towards the goal.

He was already regretting staying away from the box to defend against the penalty. To his delight, NF Academy survived once more.

Magnus, the tall defensive midfielder, sprung into the path of the shot, deflecting it away from the goal.

Since the area before the penalty box was crowded with players, several pounced on it and ended up fumbling it.

And once again, NF Academy was in luck.

Zachary sprang into action when he saw Paul Otterson finally clear the ball out of the box. The Swede had kicked it hard enough to make it soar high up in the air—heading towards the touchline.

NF Academy had finally survived a penalty.

Most of the players were under the impression the ball was heading out of play. They thought it would result in a throw-in. That would conveniently give them a much-needed break to sort out their formation after the red card. They'd even started high-fiving Kendrick to congratulate him for saving the penalty.

But not everyone on the NF Academy squad shared the same mindset.

Zachary had started running the moment Paul Otterson kicked the ball from the box. With his A+ spatial awareness, he'd only taken a moment to judge that the ball would bounce in the field of play before going over the touchline.

He was determined to get to it before that happened. So, he raced across the field, his legs moving like a boxer's fists working on a mini punching-bag.

He didn't forget to track the ball's trajectory high above him as he ran to the left-wing, like a cheetah sprinting in the wild.

His efforts paid off.

He managed to get to the ball just inside NF Academy's half as it was mid-bounce, only a few inches away from the touchline. It had almost escaped him, but he'd slid in to control it within an outstretched foot.

Without wasting any moment, he picked himself from the ground and turned quickly to face the field of play. He moved swiftly, intent on taking full advantage of his freedom before the VfB Stuttgart players closed him down.

But he was surprised to find Timo Baumgartl, the VfB Stuttgart center-back, rushing towards him. The number-5 was fast and would be upon him in only a couple of seconds.

Nonetheless, he didn't panic. He relaxed his stance and flicked the ball to his left. He made it seem he intended to run with the ball along the touchline.

And as he expected, the VfB Stuttgart center-back bought the feint. He stretched out a leg, trying to tackle the ball from Zachary's feet at that moment.

Zachary smiled as he hooked the ball with his left boot, pulling it back to himself. Without a pause, he then shoved it in between the legs of the center-back. He moved as fluidly as a fish navigating the sea.

The number-5 went down and remained seated on the ground, wondering what had happened.

Zachary didn't relax even one bit after getting past the defender. He went on a wild rampage instead.

The counterattack was on.

At that point, Zachary could have passed to Paul Otterson or Kasongo, who had joined the counter as soon as they'd seen him collect the ball on the left-wing. However, he felt like he was possessed by something that was urging him to remain in motion.

He accelerated for a while, slowed down slightly, and then madly sprinted through the few VfB Stuttgart players that had managed to make it back to defend against his lightning-fast attack.

The VfB Stuttgart goal was getting closer. Zachary raced on, almost in apnea. His lungs screamed for breath as he dashed past the final defender and came face to face with the goalkeeper.

As usual, he maintained his composure. He dug his foot under the ball and flicked it over the helpless goalkeeper.

3:0.

NF Academy had managed to extend its lead in the 87th minute, just after surviving the penalty.

The detractors were shocked.

The whole stadium exploded into a thunderstorm of cheers as Zachary found more stamina to run to the technical area to celebrate.

**** ****