The Greatest of all Time

Chapter 458: Evolving I

Without minding the rain that had just increased in intensity over the past half an hour, the referee blew the whistle at exactly 8:45 PM. And without wasting time, he signaled the Juventus players to kick off the game.     

Carlos Tévez immediately went into action. He raised his leg and unleashed a simple pass from the center spot back into his midfield. He found Zachary Bemba to kick-start Juventus' Champions League opening game against Malmö that evening.     

Zachary controlled the ball with ease at the edge of the center circle. He didn't dilly-dally and immediately flicked it back to Claudio Marchisio, his counterpart, positioned just a few yards behind him in midfield. And without losing a moment, he sprinted into space towards the other side of the pitch in search of a strategic position within Malmö's half.     

Marchisio, on his part, easily connected with Zachary's pass at the border of the middle third. Before any opponents could close him down, he kicked it towards Arturo Vidal, his other counterpart in central midfield, to kick-start a long period of slow but steady possessive football for Juventus.     

For the next few minutes, the Old Lady players arrayed themselves into a 3-5-2 formation that afforded them considerable numerical and tactical advantages within the midfield and on the flanks. By the 10th minute, they were already in control of the game, showcasing their much more refined tactical prowess and organization as a unit. They were far more creative as they went against the Malmö players arrayed in a 5-3-2 formation.     

In particular, Claudio Marchisio and Arturo Vidal, the two central midfielders, coordinated well with the three defenders to dominate possession on the field of play. The two midfielders were constantly in motion within the middle and defensive thirds, forming strategic triangles while anticipating, receiving, and releasing passes. Their off-ball runs were well-timed and distinctively confusing, allowing them to catch the seemingly helpless Malmö midfielders off guard on several occasions. Additionally, their vision while on the ball was the best of the best. Whenever there was an opportunity, they would release the two wing-backs with pinpoint passes to initiate waves of attacks on Malmö's defense through the flanks. And in such a manner, they managed to create the first goal-scoring chance for Juventus in the 11th minute.     

After sliding in wholesale to win the ball from an opposing midfielder, Arturo Vidal quickly picked himself from the ground before squaring a pass to Claudio Marchisio, his counterpart in central midfield. The latter chose not to waste time on the ball and immediately unleashed a lofted pass to find Patrice Evra on the left flank.     

Patrice Evra was as sharp as ever. He accelerated and hit top speed within seconds. He raced towards the other half like a bullet just-fired out of a sniper muzzle and easily beat an opposing wing-back by exchanging a couple of one-twos with Zachary, who had made himself available in the midfield. The wing-back then continued his mad dash along the touchline and soon approached the border of the final third. Before the opponents could close him down, he unleashed a lofted and teasing cross towards the box.     

Whoosh!     

Both Fernando Llorente and Carlos Tévez, the two Juventus strikers, immediately went into action and raced into the box. They timed their runs to perfection and soon battled the Malmö center-backs for aerial superiority. They elicited a wave of cheering around the stadium as they leaped high to connect with the incoming cross.     

Unfortunately, Erik Berg, Malmö's tall center back, managed to get to the ball first and cleared it out of play for a corner kick. The Swedish defender's efforts allowed his team to avoid conceding a goal during the 12th minute, thus eliciting a round of applause from the visiting Malmö supporters.     

*FWEEEEEEE*     

The referee blew the whistle and pointed toward the corner flag. On cue, the players of both teams began flooding into Malmö's box while Patrice Evra headed towards the corner spot to take the corner kick. A short while later, the referee finished organizing the players and blew the whistle to signal the taking of the corner kick.     

Patrice Evra immediately went into action. He blasted the ball with his left boot and sent it on a lofted trajectory towards the box. His technique was almost textbook perfect, and the corner ball found one of his teammates in the box. Unsurprisingly, that teammate was one of the tallest players on the pitch, named Zachary Bemba.     

Chance!     

It was the perfect chance for Juventus to test Malmö's goalkeeper, and Zachary reacted immediately. He leaped high and utilized his tall physique to outwit Filip Helander, one of Malmö's three center-backs, in an aerial battle close to the far post. He towered high above the opponent and angled his head to direct the ball towards the goal.     

His heading technique was without fault, but his efforts didn't bear fruit. Robin Olsen, Malmö's keeper, was alert. The number one reacted instinctively and threw himself at the incoming ball. He blocked it with his fists to send it out of play for another Juventus corner kick. His acrobatic efforts had managed to save his team from conceding an opening goal in the 14th minute.     

"Damn it," Zachary could not help but mutter a curse under his breath after failing to score. He could only place his hands at the back of his head as he watched the ball bouncing out of play.     

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In the stands: Angelo Mattiello almost couldn't believe his eyes after witnessing the save made by Malmö's keeper. His mouth was agape as he couldn't understand how the ball had failed to make its way into the back of the net. He was just as confused as the rest of the Juventus fans after failing to understand how the keeper could save the ball headed from almost point-blank range.     

"That was a perfect save from Robin Olsen, Malmö's keeper," Angelo heard the commentator say in Italian. "Zachary Bemba had done everything perfectly to beat his marker and direct the corner ball towards the inside of the post. But Olsen's almost inhuman reactions allowed him to deny Juventus another chance to bag the opening goal during the 14th minute of this Champions League fixture for Juventus. In my books, the number one already qualifies to become Malmö's best player during the game's opening minutes."     

"Indeed, Olsen was quite impressive on that occasion," the co-commentator chimed in. "But let's discuss Zachary Bemba, the man who was very close to scoring just now. How do you rate his performance so far?"     

"Just so-so," the principal commentator replied. "He hasn't been hardworking as usual during the opening ten minutes, and he has barely been on the ball. He has been almost invisible on the field of play and hasn't impacted the game, except a minute ago when he was about to score from the corner kick. He's like a pedestrian on the field, and in my books, he's by far Juventus' worst player in the opening minutes."     

"That's a harsh judgment," the co-commentator said. "But I have to agree with you. I also haven't seen the Zachary of last season during this game. And I'm guessing that Coach Allegri might take him off the field if he doesn't start working hard off the ball to improve his impact on the game within the next few minutes."     

"True," the principal commentator concurred. "Let's return our focus to the field of play where Juventus is about to take another corner kick. The referee has finished arranging the players in the box, and Patrice Evra takes the corner. He sends a powerful cross towards the far post. But alas, Robin Olsen, Malmö's goalkeeper, reads the situation well and leaps high to snatch the ball out of the air. His teammates can take a breather as it's a goal kick for Malmö."         

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