Chapter 450: Serie A Debut II
Zachary sprinted across the pitch and immediately took up a strategic position within Chievo's box. Almost instantaneously, Bostjan Cesar, the tall Slovenian center-back, was on him, marking him and harassing him. The man was quite intense with his actions, even before the referee could blow the whistle for the corner kick.
"Chill out, man," Zachary said. He shrugged the defender off before stepping away and occupying another strategic position within the box. He was finally ready to meet the incoming corner ball without any disturbance from any defender.
"You're not going anywhere," a voice sounded in his ears just as he was in the middle of analyzing his surroundings. He turned around and immediately noticed that it was the same Slovenian defender from before who had chased after him. His actions were even more aggressive, and he immediately held on to Zachary's shirt to prevent him from moving around.
"Seriously!" Zachary eyed the defender out of the corner of his eye before choosing to ignore him. He would wait for the perfect opportunity before escaping from the opponent.
A few more seconds passed, and finally, after a couple of Chievo substitutions, the referee blew the whistle. Andrea Pirlo, Juventus' deep-lying playmaker, immediately went into action and took the corner kick. He unleashed a teasing ball from the corner spot that stirred a flurry of activity within the crowded box.
"Here it comes!"
Zachary acted with urgency just as the ball started descending into the box. He shrugged off his marker before sprinting forward and leaping high to tower above his opponents and meet the incoming cross.
His newly-acquired CR7 Aerial Finishing Juju worked like a charm, and his jump took him almost a meter above the ground. Without losing composure, he inclined his head slightly and directed the incoming corner ball towards the top right corner. And without any surprise, his effort easily beat the seemingly stunned goalkeeper and allowed him to score Juventus' third goal for the night in the 78th minute. He had scored with his first touch on the ball after stepping onto the pitch as a substitute.
"This is great."
Zachary could hardly believe how easy it was to score as he descended to the ground. Previously, he often found it challenging to find the back of the net with his head. But after learning the CR7 Aerial Finishing Juju, everything seemed natural, and Zachary headed the ball home to score his first goal for Juventus in an official competition. He could hardly contain his happiness as he raced towards the corner flag to celebrate in front of the traveling Juventus fans.
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"Oh my, God, that was magnificent," the commentator yelled in Italian as Zachary raced off towards the corner flag to celebrate with the rest of his teammates. "Zachary Bemba, the newly-signed 19-year-old playmaker, has scored his first goal for Juventus in an official competition with his first touch in the game. He easily beat all the opposition before leaping high to connect with the corner ball. What a debut for the young man!"
"Just moments ago, we were speculating that he might not manage to make an immediate impact on the game," the co-commentator chipped in immediately. "But with just a single touch, he has shut everybody down with that well-timed stunning header into the back of the net. Indeed, what a debut for the young playmaker."
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In the stands, Camilla's smile was bright like the noonday sun in summer while watching Zachary celebrating with his new teammates. She was happy to witness her boyfriend score immediately after entering the pitch. She couldn't wait to congratulate him when they returned to their hotel room later that night.
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The game continued after the goal celebrations. The Chievo players tried to smother Juventus' momentum with hard work and an unrelenting attitude towards the game. But they failed due to the incredible levels of skill present within the Juventus squad.
The Juventus players didn't allow the opponents to do as they pleased. They utilized high-pressing tactics to ensure that they always won the ball quickly after losing it. And in so doing, they managed to dominate proceedings on the field of play while sustaining pressure on Chievo's defense.
Zachary, on his part, was full of energy, especially since he'd just stepped onto the pitch. He didn't stop running and played fluid and steady passing football by linking up well with Andrea Pirlo and Claudio Marchisio, his counterparts in central midfield. As a result, he managed to cause plenty of problems for the opponents during the final ten minutes of gameplay.
Additionally, he stuck to his basics and played one or two-touch football to ensure he didn't commit any mistakes on his debut day. And whenever there was an opportunity, he would unleash a through pass to find the strikers or take a shot at goal. But even with his impressive performance, he didn't manage to create any other goal-scoring opportunity for Juventus until very late during injury time.
After a failed offensive by Chievo during the 91st minute, the ball naturally found its way to Andrea Pirlo. On seeing the deep-lying playmaker receive the ball, Zachary, who was in a strategic position close to the left flank, reacted immediately and took off towards the other side of the pitch like the wind.
He had already mastered a Pirlo-Juju and had some understanding of the Maestro's incredible vision of the pitch during crucial moments of the game. He was sure that Andrea would be able to spot him as long as he made a well-timed run to catch the opponents off-guard.
"Whoosh!"
Zachary was like a Ferrari on a formula one race track as he tore across the field. He kept running and didn't stop for anything since he was banking on the fact that Andrea's pass would arrive at any time. He was hopeful, and that kept him going.
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On the sidelines, Coach Allegri was tense as he followed the action on the field of play. His gaze alternated from time to time, taking in the silhouette of Zachary, who was sprinting towards the other side of the pitch, and Andrea Pirlo, the playmaker with the ball.
The next instant, his heartbeat accelerated as he saw Andrea draw his leg back and unleash a hell-of-a-pass towards the other side of the pitch. With almost machine-like precision, the Maestro found the sprinting Zachary with a single lofted ball over the entire midfield.
Zachary, on his part, slowed down slightly before leaping high to connect with the incoming pass. He chested the ball down to the green and immediately executed a perfect Marseille turn to skip past an opposing defender. And before any of the opponents could close him down, he prodded the ball forward and continued on his way towards Chievo's box like a mega hurricane.
Bostjan Cesar, the Chievo center-back, soon stepped forward to close down his run. But Zachary chose not to tango with him. Instead, he slowed down a bit before unleashing a simple pass towards the right to find Carlos Tévez, the striker who had been running in sync with him.
It was the perfect opportunity for Juventus to score, and Tévez didn't disappoint. He maintained his composure and took a single touch on the ball to step into the box. Then, with a couple of deft touches, Tévez rounded the goalkeeper, who had come out from between the posts to meet him. He buried the ball into the back of the net to score Juventus' fourth goal for the evening in the 92nd minute.
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AC ChievoVerona 1 : Juventus FC 4
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"GOAAAAAL!"
Coach Allegri couldn't help but yell out loud when the ball nestled into the back of the net. He was pleased with his players as they had executed the counterattack perfectly. With only two passes and the brilliance of three players, they had managed to tear apart Chievo's defense and score Juventus' fourth goal for the night. As far as the coach was concerned, they had played the perfect attacking football in that one minute.
Additionally, he was impressed by the uncanny ability of his young midfielder - Zachary Bemba. The young playmaker was superb after coming on as a substitute. He right away made an impact on the game by scoring the third goal for Juventus. Then, minutes later, he provided an assist that resulted in the f
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