THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME

"GOAAAAAL..."

Zachary sighed and facepalmed as he watched Paul Otterson howling like a hungry wolf after scoring.

Otterson spread out his hands as he weaved through his teammates like a rugby player and ran towards the corner flag to celebrate his goal. He didn't stop at that. He added a few flamboyant backflips for good measure before settling down to celebrate with the rest of his teammates.

Zachary didn't join in the celebrations. He instead reminded his teammates to get back into their positions. They needed to stay focused on the game since only two minutes had passed on the clock. NF Academy still had a long way to go to defeat VfB Stuttgart.

He knew one of the most-likely moments to concede in soccer matches was right after scoring. Players tended to become complacent after obtaining a lead. They would then end up making mistakes that could result in goals.

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In the stands, Emily Anderson felt excitement sparking within her after Paul Otterson scored the goal. The match had just begun, yet NF Academy had already taken the lead. She wondered what the commentators who'd put their money on a VfB Stuttgart win would say after seeing Zachary's assist.

"Ladies—and gentlemen," she heard Ricardo Andres, the commentator that spoke with a heavy Spanish accent, drawling after the cheers had died down. "NF Academy has done it. Oh, my goodness me! What about that? NF Academy is leading in the second minute, no, the first minute. Vincent, what is your take on that goal?"

Emily heard Vincent McManaman, the second commentator, clearing his throat before replying. "As I'd said a few minutes ago, VfB Stuttgart will have to keep Zachary in check if they wish to win the final. This goal is representative of his quick thinking and brilliance in the middle of the field. It took just a couple of seconds for him to take advantage of Kasongo's run in the left-wing. And luckily, Kasongo did not disappoint. He supplied a precise cut-back pass to Zachary. The number-8 did what he does best. He ran at the defenders, drew their attention away from his teammate, and delivered that tricky little ball over the defense. The boy is simply a genius. NF Academy is in the lead, thanks to him."

"I have to say both Kasongo Paul and Paul Otterson were instrumental in the buildup to this goal," drawled Ricardo Andres, the first commentator. "Even Örjan Börmark, the center-forward, should be given credit. Don't you think so, Mr. Vincent?"

"Absolutely," Vincent McManaman replied firmly. "Zachary wouldn't have held on to the ball that long if his teammates hadn't made runs at the VfB Stuttgart's defensive line. They gave Zachary Bemba a lot of options to choose from when he delivered his final pass. And in so doing, they confused the defense further, winning time for Zachary to create the chance. And special credit should go to Paul Otterson, the left-winger. He timed his run perfectly, avoiding the offside trap by a hair's breadth. He didn't lose composure and punished VfB Stuttgart."

"Well, let's leave it at that," said Ricardo Andres. "The gameplay has restarted, and it seems like VfB Stuttgart is trying their best to score an equalizer right away. Mr. Vincent, do you think this will be a match of many goals?"

"I really can't tell at the moment," Vincent McManaman replied. "If the NF Academy can manage to score another goal, we may get to see a multi-goal thriller in the finals. However, if they focus on defense—like I suspect they will, we may have to sit through a long, drawn-out match—like their quarter-final against Zenit."

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*FWEEEEEEE*

The referee blew the whistle, awarding a throw-in. Magnus, one of the two NF Academy's defensive midfielders, had just made a clean sliding tackle, dispossessing Sinan Gümüs and shoving the ball out of play.

Phillipp Mwene, VfB Stuttgart's left-back, took the throw-in, quickly releasing Timo Werner on the left flank. Timo used his incredible pace, bolting past Öyvind Alseth, NF Academy's right-back, and delivered a teasing cross into the box.

Adrian Grbic, VfB Stuttgart's center-forward, out-jumped the NF Academy center-backs to meet the ball. He planted a powerful header towards the goal from around the edge of the box. However, his effort ballooned high over the crossbar.

The referee signaled for a goal-kick.

Zachary let out a breath of pent up air and turned around to head back to the center-circle. His team had survived yet another attack from the relentless VfB Stuttgart attackers.

The NF Academy had been under tremendous pressure for the first ten minutes of the game. VfB Stuttgart's players had come at them like predators chasing prey, starting from the moment they conceded the goal. They attacked relentlessly using both long and short passes, searching for opportunities to spear into NF Academy's box.

However, NF Academy's four defenders coordinated well with the two defensive midfielders to keep the VfB Stuttgart attackers at bay. They remained disciplined and focused on playing with a high defensive line, often catching the opposing forwards offside. The score was still 1:0 in the 12th minute, thanks to their efforts.

Zachary was surprised as the match progressed into the 15th minute. He'd noticed that only Philipp Förster, VfB Stuttgart's number-8, was marking him. The rest of the midfielders minded other aspects of the game without bothering to track his movements. For the first time, Zachary felt as free as a bird on the field of play. It had been long since he'd enjoyed the freedom accorded by being marked by a single player.

However, he hadn't gotten many touches on the ball. The VfB Stuttgart players had elevated their playing-style to a higher gear after conceding. They arrayed themselves in a triangular 4-3-3 formation and passed the ball through their midfield quickly, probing for weaknesses.

Zachary noted that Joshua Kimmich was the holding central-midfielder, placed in front of the four defenders. He played behind two attacking midfielders—that in turn played behind three forwards.

Adrian Grbic was the center-forward. Timo Werner and Felix Lohkemper played on the left and right flanks, respectively. The latter, two, made runs in the wings, forming passing triangles with Sinan Gümüs and Joshua Kimmich—the midfielders who were not marking Zachary.

Joshua Kimmich was exceptional as the control tower of the whole VfB Stuttgart's formation. Zachary noticed that he was playing almost like the maverick of the German side that day. He had no defined role in the midfield and was unpredictable on the ball.

Sometimes, Kimmich would shift the ball from right to left, setting his fullbacks free down the wing or searching for the powerful runner Timo Werner on the left-wing. Other times, he would play it cool by slowly passing the ball to his teammates, both in the defense and the midfield. And when the NF Academy players least expected it, he could make a run through the middle.

He managed to cause NF Academy several problems with his uncanny passing ability. In the 18th minute, he made space for himself by skipping past Simen Giæver, one of NF Academy's defensive midfielders. He immediately let loose a raking pass that soared over the defense and fell right on the path of Timo Werner.

Timo, VfB Stuttgart's number-11, collected the sweet pass on the edge of the box—and in one movement, smashed a shot towards goal. However, Lars Togstad, NF Academy's number-4, slid in to block the ball and deflect it away from its intended path.

Daniel Kvande, his counterpart in central defense, pounced on the resulting ball and cleared it away from the box—towards the middle of the pitch.

Magnus, the tall NF Academy defensive midfielder, outmuscled his mark and headed the ball towards Zachary in the left midfield.

Zachary controlled it like a pro, bringing it to the ground in a single motion. And without a pause, he spun with the ball hooked to his left foot, skipping past Philipp Förster, his marker, before taking off like a racehorse towards the VfB Stuttgart's half.

Joshua Kimmich, VfB Stuttgart's number-6, immediately closed in on him, attempting to block his run. However, Zachary didn't try to dribble past him. He raised his leg and unleashed a grounded pass towards the left-wing, where Paul Otterson was waiting.

The NF Academy winger seemed to be on top of his game that day and didn't disappoint. He controlled the ball like a pro, spun around, and dashed along the touchline, bolting into VfB Stuttgart's half like the wind. Meanwhile, Zachary continued running in sync with him through the midfield.

Simon Wilske, VfB Stuttgart's right-back, came up to intercept Paul Otterson once he was about a dozen yards into the opponent's half. However, Paul maintained his composure and unleashed a grounded through-pass towards Örjan Börmark, NF Academy's center-forward. Örjan had just escaped his marker and made a yard of space for himself at the edge of the box.

The center-forward controlled the ball beautifully and tried to skip past VfB Stuttgart's center-backs to step into their box. But the defenders stood their ground and didn't give him any leeway to run with the ball.

"Örjan," Zachary yelled as he ran towards VfB Stuttgart's box. "Pass here."

The center-forward didn't dawdle after hearing him yelling. Örjan flicked the ball onto his right and unleashed a well-timed cut-back pass towards Zachary.

Zachary didn't even bother to control the ball. He simply whipped it with his left foot on the first contact, unleashing a missile of a shot towards the goal.

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