THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME
The Zenit C ⁇ II

The referee blew the whistle and the second half started with a Zenit kick-off.

Zachary returned to the defensive midfield to intercept the long aerial ball from Zenit. He's itching to score. He had to take the ball first.

Zenit still used a 4-4-2 formation with two attackers leading the attack. Zachary noticed that they immediately positioned themselves among the NF Academy centre-backs as the match restarted.

The long pass from the wing came quickly into the penalty box. Robin Jatta, the NF academy centre-back, jumped high and headed the ball back into midfield. Zachary chases after him, struggling to get there first before Artem Simonyan, Zenit's attacking midfielder.

However, Artem was closer to the ball. He got there faster and fired it back into the NF Academy goal.

Lars Togstad, another NF Academy centre-back, hit back well, making the first pass to send the ball back to where it came from. Over the next twenty minutes, the match became a spectacle of long balls—-like in the first half. The score remains locked at 0:0 when the time reaches the 70th minute.

Zenit players managed to isolate Zachary by 'just' choosing to pass the ball over the midfield. They hardly play short or grounded passes. Zachary is confused about how to get the ball into the field in midfield.

The opponent also defended well as a team. Markov and Sheydaev, their two strikers, did all the strikes—while the midfielders and defenders held on to thwart any attempt on their goal. They double down or handle NF academy players who are lucky enough to pick up the stray ball. More often than not, they win back control of the ball instantly and send long passes to their strikers, without moving from their position.

Zachary sighed at the genius and stupidity of the tactic. As Zenit could not put more players forward, they could not score. They left no loopholes that could be exploited in their defence but also condemned themselves to remain goalless. That was unless they could utilize set-pieces or exploit the mistakes NF Academy defenders made.

However, the NF Academy defenders are focused and in their best form since the start of the tournament. Coach Johansen has committed four defenders to overseeing two Zenit strikers. Zachary believes they will not make mistakes that could lead to conceding goals.

The second half was a monotonous long pass game that upset most fans.

The match remained 0-0 as the digital clock on the big screen slowly approached the 90th minute.

Everyone in the stadium, including the players, slowly began to believe that the match would be extended to extra-time or even to penalties.

However, Zachary never gave up on his belief that he could still win the game. He believed there was still a chance to bag it before the final whistle.

The goddess of fortune seemed to support her patience and gave her a chance in the 88th minute. The Zenit players became a little weak after a long time of concentrating and running. They started making some mistakes.

One of Zenit's central midfielders mis-entered the ball when Zachary was close enough to pounce on it. The other Zenit players did not anticipate their teammates losing the ball at that point. Before they could react, Zachary had already dashed past them, piercing deeper into their parts.

Kasongo, Paul, and Rjan joined the lightning-fast attack, running on his left and right. They pulled some opponents from his path. He quickly advanced towards the goal of Zenit, zig-zagging around the defenders of Zenit.

Zachary looked good on his way to scoring another goal with one of his signatures.

However, Zenit are an experienced young team. The two centre-backs quickly closed it off as he ran down the green, trying to find his way into the box. They protected his potential path to force him to the sidelines.

Zachary slowed his pace slightly as defenders approached. But when they loosened their attitude, probably thinking they had it, he immediately sped up to avoid them. He ran past two defenders on his way to the goal, his movement smooth.

However, he suddenly felt a strong pull on his shirt before he could rejoice. He tried to flick the ball to rjan, who had just preceded him, but the defender at the back made him fall to the ground before he could lift his foot. The tall centre-back did not even attempt to hide his offense.

Amidst the heat of the moment, Zachary was upset and turned to face him.

*FREEEE*

The referee blew his whistle and came to separate them.

"Cold, calm," the referee said to the two of them, raising his hand in a calming manner. He showed a yellow card to centre-back Zenit and offered a free kick to the NF Academy.

He let Zachary go with a warning.

The foul took place about forty-five yards from Zenit's goal. Zachary could not hit the target with a powerful shot from that distance. So, he asked his other teammates to advance towards the Zenit box.

"You all go forward and attack, except for Kasongo," he shouted at his team-mates. "This is our last chance."

Zachary decides to leave Kasongo back in case against a possible Zenit counterattack. Kasongo is the only person on the team who can match his speed to some extent. Moreover, he is a short guy and will not be of much use against the air ball.

"Stay in the center circle," Zachary told Kasongo as he positioned the ball on the artificial grass. "Prepare to react to Zenit's counter-attack if we fail to score. You can commit an offense if you need to."

"OK," Kasongo replied with a smile. "Hopefully lucky." He patted her on the back before running into the middle circle.

The referee blew the whistle, gesturing for Zachary to take a free kick. He has finished setting the walls of two players, a few yards from the ball.

Zachary raised his hand to signal his teammates to get ready. He took a deep breath to calm himself down and scanned the entire playing field in front of him. He took a few steps back and assessed the distance to the goal once again, concluding what type of ball he could use against the goalkeeper.

Nineteen players stood between him and the goalpost. Every player on the pitch, except Kasongo and Kendrick, is ready to attack or defend against free-kicks. Zachary's football brain assesses the risks and deduces the best path for the ball.

*FREEEE*

The referee blew the whistle once more, prompting Zachary to take a free kick.

Zachary decided to go with his instincts. He detonated the ball with the inside of his boots, sending it into a curved path. It flashed past the two men who formed the — wall towards Magnus, the tallest player on the field. The long-distance curved bait was accurate, leading to number six among the sea of players.

Magnus jumped over everyone around him and swept the ball with the top of his head. He steered it into the top right corner, past the Zenit goalkeeper.

Stadium holding its breath—watch, wondering if the ball will find the back of the net.

Zachary started running towards the Zenit box while the other players watched the ball finally being able to decide who would advance to the semi-finals. He once saw a shadow of the ball bouncing off the top post using his Zinedine-Visual-Juju.

"BANG"

As expected, the ball hit the top right corner of the goalpost. The sound of the impact was quite felt in the quiet stadium.

The fans sighed, more or less simultaneously.

NF Academy players are struggling to chase the ball for rebounds. However, the tall centre-back, who tackled Zachary, got there first. He cleared the ball from the box with a timely volley.

The ball moves in the air, out of the box, with Zenit and NF Academy players chasing it. Kasongo, positioned in the center of the circle, prepares to face a highly likely Zenit counterattack.

However, they all stopped their action as Zachary greeted the ball about thirty-five yards from Zenit's goal. He worked with instinct to measure his direction and speed before being able to bounce. He caught it first in a volley with the top of his left shoe, blowing it back where it came from.

The ball follows a seemingly impossible curved trajectory, first moving to the right of the ball and then suddenly, turning left at incredible speed, turning back towards the goal. It goes into the back of the net like a ballistic missile, unstoppable.

The Zenit goalkeeper could only stare in disbelief. Zachary had scored a screamer from thirty-five yards using his arrow shot.

1:0.

Cheers burst out abruptly inside the stadium as fans marveled at the spectacular display. In the 90th minute, Zachary had a final laugh, taking his team to the semi-finals.