THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME

In the stands, Emily's eyes sparkled as she watched Zachary celebrate his goal. Her mouth drew back at the corners into a smile as she recalled the crazy lightning-fast counterattack.

Only a few minutes ago, she'd been brooding over the possibility of NF Academy losing the game after receiving a red card. But, in a matter of seconds, Zachary had gone ahead to extend NF academy's lead.

She hadn't expected the turn of events, but she was happy, nonetheless. Zachary's team was only a few moments away from winning the Riga Cup final.

"That was unexpected," she heard Ricardo Andres, one of the commentators, speak after the cheers died down.

"Yes, that was truly unexpected," Vincent McManaman, the second commentator, replied. "I'm truly speechless."

"3:0," Ricardo chipped in. "That's a score I wouldn't have expected at the start of the final. NF Academy has a huge advantage over VfB Stuttgart. Mr. Vincent, we didn't get a chance to review the penalty. What is your take on that missed opportunity?"

"Well, there was nothing wrong with Timo's technique," said Vincent, his voice flat. "He picked one side and took the penalty pretty well, giving it some elevation. On a good day, a keeper wouldn't have been able to get to it."

"I guess today isn't one of those good days," Ricardo Andres cut in.

"VfB Stuttgart has been extraordinarily unlucky today," Vincent concurred. "With the chances they've created, they should have put at least two past the keeper."

"But, some credit should go to NF Academy's goalkeeper as well," Ricardo interrupted. "He has been excellent today. The way he saved that penalty, then immediately stopped the rebound from Felix Lohkemper, the other VfB Stuttgart forward, deserves a round of applause."

"Yes," Vincent chipped in. "But, the anomaly in this tournament is still Zachary Bemba. He reacted to that ball and saved it from going out of play when it was only a few inches from the touchline. What control—what pace—what composure! He's now the joint top scorer of the tournament, tied with Timo Werner at twelve goals. This is one player already performing above the academy level."

"Let me remind you he's just seventeen," Ricardo intoned.

Emily heard Vincent sighing audibly through the loudspeakers. "That's what makes him a monster," the commentator said in a melancholy tone. "Any club that gets him will be quite lucky."

"Let's leave it at that," intoned Ricardo. "The coach of NF Academy has reacted right away. He's calling for two substitutions. Martin Lundal, a defender, is coming on in place of Örjan Börmark, the center-forward. On the other hand, Aleksander Foosnæs, another defender, will replace Paul Otterson, the left-winger. Mr. Vincent, what's your take on this?"

"Well, it's a good call," Vincent said coolly. "NF Academy has a three-goal lead, but they also have to play with a man down for the remaining minute, plus injury time. The coach intends to protect his advantage for those few minutes—and voila, he'll be champion. Bringing on two defenders is the right call in this situation."

**** ****

Back on the pitch—

"Guys," Zachary yelled at his teammates. "We're almost there. Although we are ahead by three goals, don't lose focus. We need to defend." He clapped his hands for emphasis.

All the players had already taken their positions. They were merely waiting for the referee to blow his whistle for the resumption of play.

Zachary tingled with excitement. He felt like the trophy was just one step away. Yet, he knew very well that the match wasn't over. Together with his teammates, they still had a job to do.

They had to deny VfB Stuttgart any chances of pulling off a comeback, no matter how slim they were. That meant they had to play at their highest level of concentration for the remaining minutes.

Zachary had assumed the VfB Stuttgart players would lose all motivation after conceding the third goal. However, he was surprised to see the familiar unwavering hunger for a win in their eyes as they waited to restart the game. They hadn't given up yet. Zachary could see it in their body language.

*FWEEEEEEE*

The referee blew the whistle and the game restarted.

VfB Stuttgart's attack was fiercer than before. All their players seemed to have abandoned the defense and kept pressing NF Academy back into its half. Their stance ignored all protection of their goal, putting all resources into attacking.

They played with only two defenders, stationed at the half-way line. The rest poured forward to exert pressure on the ten NF Academy players. They seemed fully intent on reaping benefits from their numerical advantage.

Phillipp Mwene and Simon Wilske, the two wing-backs, had moved even further ahead. They were practically playing as wingers. The two of them caused the most trouble for Zachary and his teammates. Their frequent crosses into the box were a constant headache for the NF Academy players.

On the other hand, all the ten NF Academy players had pulled back into their own half to defend against VfB Stuttgart's relentless attacks. Even Zachary had changed positions and was playing as a defensive midfielder for the final minutes of the game.

Magnus, the tall number-6, had moved even further back to play as a center-back. The coach had allocated him the position due to his towering height. His presence in the defense helped NF Academy against the deadly VfB Stuttgart crosses.

Zachary felt more assured of NF Academy's win as the clock hit the 90th minute. However, the fourth official soured his mood when he put up a board showing six additional minutes as injury time.

Six minutes felt like ten years at that point in the game. Zachary was sure his teammates were feeling extremely exhausted. They'd been ceaselessly defending against VfB Stuttgart's attacks right from the start of the second half.

Moreover, Lar's red card had added more mental pressure on them. They would tire even faster in the last stages of the game. Notwithstanding, they all continued working hard, holding up against the endless VfB Stuttgart efforts.

In the 92nd minute, Joshua Kimmich and Philipp Förster moved further forward and started playing as false strikers. What followed was a series of even fiercer attacks—with the German side mixing a couple of long-range shots in their goal attempts.

In the 93rd minute, Phillipp Mwene, the VfB Stuttgart left-back, received another lofted pass from Timo Baumgartl, the center-back. Like he'd done the entire match, he played a one-two with Kaan Akkaya, the attacking midfielder, advancing further into NF Academy's half along the touchline.

However, instead of crossing, Phillipp Mwene unleashed a cut-back pass towards the edge of the box. The change in attacking style caught the NF Academy players unawares since they'd been expecting a cross into the box.

Joshua Kimmich met the ball uncontested just outside the box and let lose a first-time shot at the goal.

Magnus raced forward to block the ball. However, NF Academy seemed to have used up its luck. The ball was traveling too fast. It deflected off his thigh and found its way to the back of the net.

3:1.

Joshua Kimmich had finally scored VfB Stuttgart's first goal in the 93rd minute. Kendrick didn't manage to react due to the slight deflection that had taken the ball off its original course.

Zachary sighed as he watched the VfB Stuttgart players pick up the ball from the net and carry it back to the center spot. Despite all the NF Academy's efforts, the German side had still managed to put one goal past them with a little more than two minutes remaining.