THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME
Sensations

In the engineering area, Coach Johansen watched the ball drift towards the goal. It went up and down at incredible speed, constantly veering past the defence and goalkeeper VfB Stuttgart.

Zachary has seen Odysseas Vlachodimos, the VfB Stuttgart goalkeeper, walk out of his line-up. So, he made his first shot from thirty-five yards, using the strappy part of the boots.

The guard was helpless and beaten.

The fans in the stands fell silent, watching Zachary's long-range effort lead into the net.

Zachary, still on the edge of the box, raised his hand to start celebrating, expecting his efforts to find his way to the back of the net.

However

"BAM"

"Fuck up!" Coach Johansen could not resist cursing loudly, punching the air in front of him, as he watched the ball hit the crossbar and bounce back onto the pitch.

Nonetheless, he did not take his eyes off the field of play as he saw Zachary and rjan chasing loose balls in the VfB Stuttgart box. He hoped they would get there first and give NF Academy a two-goal lead early. With the way the VfB Stuttgart players play, NF Academy needs cushioning if they are to maintain their lead and win the final.

"Yes," he heard Coach Bjorn Peters, celebrating from his side as rjan, NF Academy's centre forward, got the ball in front of the back of the net before centre-back VfB Stuttgart. With flamboyant acrobatics, he did a header in the lower left corner.

However, the VfB Stuttgart goalkeeper was wary at the time. He swoops to the side and pushes the ball with his fingertips away from his goal. He had turned down the NF Academy an opportunity to extend their lead.

The referee blew his whistle and pointed towards the corner flag.

"Damn," Coach Bjorn cursed from beside him. "It was a lost opportunity. We missed the opportunity to expand our lead."

Coach Johansen nodded without saying anything. Even though he could understand the mood of his assistant, he still hoped his team would get something out of a corner kick.

"Oyvind," he cried loudly. "Please take a corner kick" he added as the right-back faced the technical area. He did not forget to gesture to yvind and his entire cast, instructing them on which corner kick routine would be the best at the time.

A few seconds later, he nodded in satisfaction when he saw his six highest players gathered at the edge of the box. They intended to run towards different areas to confuse the defenders of VfB Stuttgart. That would greatly increase their chances of scoring. Meanwhile, Magnus, a high defensive midfielder, approached the goalkeeper, waiting to pounce on loose balls that might come his way.

The only high-ranking NF Academy player not in the box was Zachary. He stood right outside the eighteen, waiting for the rebound.

Coach Johansen claimed to be satisfied with the position of his players to take a corner kick. It was up to yvind to give the ball a good angle so that NF Academy could extend their lead before it was too late. The earlier they increase their edge, the better their chances of winning.

yvind, the NF Academy's right-back, did not disappoint. He whipped the ball in a circular arc—ke into a rowdy group of players packed inside the box.

There is some push and push in the box when the ball falls to the far post. However, Robin Jatta, NF Academy's left-back, set his running time superbly, outwitting his target to connect with the resulting corner ball. He showed his brilliance in the air and managed to make a header towards the goal, without a fight.

Coach Johansen raised his hand, anticipating the goal.

However, Odysseas Vlachodimos, the goalkeeper of VfB Stuttgart, made a fine save to thwart Robin's chances of making his name on the scoreboard. He dived superbly to stop the ball heading towards the bottom right corner, sending it back onto the pitch.

Timo Baumgartl, the VfB Stuttgart centre-back, did it first and cleared it towards the left wing where Joshua Kimmich was waiting.

Joshua Kimmich had the ball with a movement that flowed like a Maestro. Even without doing a second touch, he unleashed a high pass across the touchline— toward the halfway line where Timo Werner was lurking.

Joshua Kimmich, the number-6 VfB Stuttgart, had just started a deadly counter-attack right after a corner kick. All NF Academy players seemed to be unconscious as the lightning-fast switch from defending to attacking only required one touch to begin with.

Timo Werner, number 11 VfB Stuttgart, passed the ball on the left wing—close to the touchline before darting into the half-court of NF Academy.

VfB Stuttgart's attackers are very fast, and the NF Academy appears vulnerable. Coach Johansen was about to start yelling at Kasongo to close Timo but suddenly stopped. He noticed that Zachary was already chasing the fast winger.

Coach Johansen glanced nervously at the line judge who stood close to the two players on the left flank. However, the match official lowered his flag, keeping him calm. He sighed when he realized that Zachary's tackle didn't result in a foul.

"Zachary must have started chasing Timo Werner before Kimmich even let go of the ball" Coach Bjorn observed from the side. "It seems he can predict where the opponent will play the ball even before they start the attack. Doesn't this mean he always has a complete visual on everyone in the field?"

"Maybe," replied Coach Johansen indifferently as all his focus was still on the match. Zachary had just picked up the loose ball and passed it back to Kendrick, the NF Academy goalkeeper.

However, the danger is not over. Timo Werner, who had just risen from the ground, immediately closed it down.

Kendrick could only kick the ball high up the midfield because not many NF Academy players could pass, near the box.

However, in doing so, NF Academy lost possession of the ball once again. What followed was a period of VfB Stuttgart dominance. The German team intensified its attack, passing the ball, patiently waiting for opportunities.

Joshua Kimmich continues to dictate tempo in midfield as a control tower. Zachary had tried to mark and chase him away on many occasions but failed. Number-6 is always playing it safe, choosing to pass the ball before Zachary can get close to it. He played two touches on the ball more often before releasing forward passes to forward VfB Stuttgart. Efficient style. That helped VfB Stuttgart dominate possession and build plenty of chances in the following minutes.

Both Timo Werner and Felix Lohkemper, the VfB Stuttgart forward on the wing, came close to scoring after receiving defensively divisive passes from him in the 26th and 30th minutes. However, Kendrick got up and produced a superb save. Coach Johansen was pleased with his performance.

The NF Academy defenders are also playing at their best. They managed to block many goal attempts made by VfB Stuttgart attackers.

However, Coach Johansen was still not satisfied with the score. He knows very well how dangerous VfB Stuttgart is when the game takes place since he watched the two previous German team matches.

The only way he can increase his team's chances of winning against a much stronger team is by enlarging his lead before halftime. So, he decided to call his most effective player once again.

When the ball goes out of play for a throw-in, he calls Zachary to the sidelines.

"Try to stay around Kimmich for the rest of the first half" he said, patting Zachary on the back after he arrived near the technical area. "I'm sure you've noticed that a lot of action happens around him. If you stay close to him, you should be able to get a chance to counterattack if he makes a mistake."

"That's if he ever made a mistake" Zachary replied with a wry smile. "But I will try to close it as soon as possible for the rest of the first half" he added before running back onto the pitch.

The game begins again, and Zachary follows his instructions to the letter. He moved in front and stayed close to the number-6 VfB Stuttgart, making him uncomfortable in the process. Whenever Kimmich received the ball, Zachary would pounce on it without giving him time or space to breathe.

Kimmich managed to maintain his composure most of the time. He continued to play quick passes to his team-mates without giving Zachary a chance to close them down.

But Zachary remained patient, waiting around for an opportunity. And surprisingly, his effort came to fruition in the 43rd minute.

Sinan Gums, one of the midfielders, provided a loose pass to Kimmich deep inside the VfB Stuttgart defensive area when Zachary was nearby. It was one of those unexpected mistakes that no one could have expected from a player of his caliber. All the players around him, including his teammates, were caught off guard by his rookie mistakes.

However, Zachary managed to pounce on the blind pass, intercepting it before the other players could do so. He then did a solo run, passing Kimmich and Philipp Forster. He swept through midfield so quickly that he could attack centre-back VfB Stuttgart in no time.

The two VfB Stuttgart centre-backs seem to have been alerted how to handle Zachary's dribbling. They stand upright in front of the box, blocking its path without trying to do a wild lunge on the ball.

Zachary, however, did not try to dribble past them. He did the unexpected instead. He whipped the ball with the inside of his left shoe from outside the eighteen-yard box.

Coach Johansen watched with nervous anticipation as the ball curled around the two defenders and spun past goalkeeper— towards the top left corner. Odysseas Vlachodimos, the number-1 VfB Stuttgart, could only turn around and watch the ball spin behind the net.

2:0.

The NF Academy had challenged all odds to extend their lead to two goals before half-time. Coach Johansen inevitably celebrated like a madman, waving his hands and running back and forth inside the technical area.

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