THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME
The Six - Minute Finale I

In the stands, Emily's eyes sparkled as she watched Zachary celebrate his goal. His mouth pulled back into a corner into a smile as he recalled the crazy lightning-fast counterattack.

Just a few minutes ago, he was thinking about the possibility of NF Academy losing the game after receiving a red card. But, within seconds, Zachary had already excelled first to enlarge the NF academy's lead.

He didn't expect a turn of events, but he was happy, still. Zachary's team are just moments away from winning the Riga Cup final.

"That was unexpected," he heard Ricardo Andres, one of the commentators, speak after the cheers subsided.

"Yes, it was completely unexpected" Vincent McManaman, the second commentator, replied. "I'm really speechless."

"3:0," Ricardo interrupted. "That's a score I didn't expect at the start of the final. NF Academy has a big advantage over VfB Stuttgart. Mr. Vincent, we don't have the opportunity to review his sentence. What do you think of this missed opportunity?"

"Well, there's nothing wrong with Timo's technique" Vincent said, his voice flat. "He picked one side and took the penalty pretty well, giving him some improvement. On a good day, a guard won't be able to do it."

"I don't think today was a good day" Ricardo Andres said.

"VfB Stuttgart was very unlucky today" Vincent agreed. "With the chances they created, they should have been able to put at least two balls past the goalkeeper."

"But, some praise should also be given to the goalkeeper of the NF Academy" Ricardo said. "He was amazing today. The way he saved that penalty, and then immediately stopped the rebound from Felix Lohkemper, another VfB Stuttgart attacker, deserves applause."

"Yes" Vincent interrupted. "But, the anomaly in this tournament is still Zachary Bemba. He reacted to the ball and saved it from getting out of the game when it was just inches from the touchline. Control what—what speed —quiet once! He is now joint top scorer of the tournament, drawing with Timo Werner with twelve goals. This is one of the players who has already performed above the academy level."

"Let me remind you that he is only seventeen years old" Ricardo chanted.

Emily heard Vincent sighing through the loudspeaker. "That's what made him a monster" the commentator said in a melancholy tone. "Any club that gets it will be very lucky."

"Let's stop there" Ricardo said. "The NF Academy's trainer immediately reacted. He asked for two substitutions. Martin Lundal, a defender, will replace Orjan Bermark, the centre-forward. On the other hand, Alexander Foosnaes, another defender, will replace him. Paul Otterson, left winger. Mr Vincent, what do you think of this?"

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

**** ****

Back to field—

"Guys," shouted Zachary to his team-mates. "We're almost there. Even though we were three goals ahead, don't lose focus. We have to hold on." He clapped his hands to emphasize.

All the players took their positions. They just wait for the referee to blow his whistle to restart the game.

Zachary was intrigued by excitement. He feels like the trophy is just one step away. However, he knew very well that the match was not over yet. Together with his teammates, they still have work to do.

Zachary assumed the VfB Stuttgart players would lose all motivation after conceding the third goal. However, he was shocked to see the unshakable hunger to win in their eyes as they waited to restart the game. They haven't given up. Zachary can see it in their body language.

*FREEEE*

The referee blows the whistle and the match starts again.

VfB Stuttgart's attack was more violent than ever. All of their players seemed to have left the defense and continued to press NF Academy back into half. Their attitude ignores all protection of their goals, putting all resources to attack.

They play with only two defenders, placed in the center line. The rest flowed forward to exert pressure on the ten NF Academy players. They seem fully intent on reaping the benefits of their numerical superiority.

Phillipp Mwene and Simon Wilske, two full-backs, have moved further forward. They played as wingers. Both caused the biggest problems for Zachary and his team-mates. Their frequent cross-feeds into the box always gave the NF Academy players a headache.

On the other hand, the ten players of the NF Academy had retreated to half their own field to defend against VfB Stuttgart's relentless attack. Even Zachary had changed positions and played as a defensive midfielder in the final minutes of the game.

Magnus, the tall 6, has moved further back to play at centre-back. The coach has allocated that position because of his towering height. His presence in defence helped the NF Academy against Stuttgart's deadly VfB cross.

Zachary felt more confident about NF Academy's victory when time reached the 90th minute. However, the fourth referee worsened his mood when he put up a board showing the extra six minutes as injury time.

Six minutes felt like ten years at that point in the game. Zachary believes his team-mates are feeling very tired. They have been relentlessly defending against VfB Stuttgart's attack since the start of the second half.

What's more, Lar's red card has added more mental pressure on them. They will get tired faster in the last stage of the game. Nonetheless, they all continue to work hard, defending against the endless efforts of VfB Stuttgart.

In the 92nd minute, Joshua Kimmich and Philipp Froster moved further forward and started playing as fake attackers. What followed was a series of more ferocious strikes with the German team combining several long-range shots in their attempt to score.

In the 93rd minute, Phillipp Mwene, left-back of VfB Stuttgart, received another pass from Timo Baumgartl, the centre-back. As he did throughout the match, he played one-two with Kaan Akkaya, an attacking midfielder, advancing further into the NF Academy half-section along the field line.

However, instead of crossing, Phillipp Mwene released a cut-back pass towards the edge of the box. The change in attacking style left NF Academy players unconscious as they expected a cross into the box.

Joshua Kimmich greeted the ball without a fight outside the box and fired his first shot into the net.

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

3:1.

Joshua Kimmich finally scored VfB Stuttgart's first goal in the 93rd minute. Kendrick did not manage to react because of a slight deflection that kept the ball out of its original path.

Zachary sighed as he watched the VfB Stuttgart players take the ball from the net and bring it back to the halfway point. Despite all the efforts of the NF Academy, the German team still managed to put a goal past them with little more than two minutes remaining.