Chapter 592 Relentless Attacking from the Get-Go
*FWEEEEEEE*
The referee blew the whistle at 8:45 PM and signaled the Juventus players to kick off the Coppa Italia final. Carlos Tevez, the striker already standing over the ball placed at the center spot, immediately passed it back into his midfield to find Claudio Marchisio, one of Juventus' central midfielders for the day.
Claudio Marchisio, on his part, didn't do anything splashy with the ball. He took a single touch before dispatching it to his left to find Arturo Vidal, one of his counterparts in midfield.
By then, Miroslav Klose, the Lazio center forward, had already stormed into Juventus' half to close down the ball. However, Arturo Vidal remained confident and composed while facing the incoming opponent. The Chilean even took two more touches before playing the ball into the wing to find Patrice Evra, Juventus' left wing-back for the day.
Patrice Evra was also without any pressure. He calmly collected the ball close to the touchline on the left flank before playing a one-two with Vidal to escape the harassment of Du?an Basta, the player playing as the wide right midfielder for Lazio.
Then, when the space opened up, Evra pushed forward and soon stepped past the center line. ?tefan Radu, one of Lazio's three center-backs, rushed forward to close the Frenchman down. However, Evra didn't choose to take him on but instead squared the ball into the middle to find Zachary.
The coach's pre-game address flashed through Zachary's mind as he connected with the pass from Evra. The manager had said to go all out and attempt to find a goal within the opening minutes before the opponents could settle down into the game. Zachary, being the daredevil he was, immediately followed the coach's instructions that suited his tastes.
Without hesitation, he hit his top speed and set off towards Lazio's box. He dribbled the ball forward and cut through the middle before coming across the first obstacle in the form of Danilo Cataldi, one of Lazio's defensive midfielders.
He didn't lose his composure and stepped past the Lazio man with a few well-timed side steps, plus an almost instantaneous acceleration. He continued driving towards Lazio's backline, where he found two more roadblocks in the form of Stefan de Vrij and Santiago Gentiletti, the other two opposing center-backs.
Zachary didn't choose to take them on, though. His SS-graded spatial awareness and ball technique attributes came into play, and he played a forward ball to Carlos Tevez, who was already waiting in a pocket of space on the right side of the box.
Carlos Tevez, on his part, was unselfish after connecting with the pass. He just flicked the ball with his first touch towards the sprinting path of Zachary, who was already continuing his run into the box.
Zachary smiled, and his blood boiled with anticipation when he saw the Argentine play him on with a first-time snappy flick. He wriggled through the space between the Lazio center-backs and collected the ball mid-stride.
Of course, the defenders attempted to stop him. But he remained composed and took another deft touch to open the space and step into the box. The angle naturally opened up, and he hammered the ball goalward, hoping to score Juventus 1st goal for the night during the very 1st minute.
Unfortunately, Etrit Berisha, the Lazio keeper, was alert. He dived and stretched out his body to block the shot, which was on course toward the inside of the far post. But even then, he didn't clear the danger and instead pushed the ball back into the box.
Chaos immediately descended in the box as the players of both sides struggled to get to the ball first. They all rushed forward with eyes full of vibrance, yearning to beat their opponents to it. Even the Lazio keeper swiftly crawled forward, hoping to get another hand on the ball and clear it away.
Eventually, Fernando Llorente, the striker ever-lurking in the box, was the one who came out on top. The Juventus forward beat everyone to the bouncing ball and immediately guided it back toward the goal with his knee.
It was a tense moment. The passing of time seemed to slow down as all eyes and cameras focused on the ball heading toward the back of the net. But at the very last moment, ?tefan Radu, the Lazio captain and center-back, swooped in and blocked the ball before it could cross the line. Moreover, the Lazio man didn't just stop at that but also cleared it away and sent it flying with a stunning volley.
However, had he completely cleared away the danger? The answer was a big no as Claudio Marchisio, the Juventus midfielder waiting at the border of the final third, immediately collected the just-cleared ball. Without giving the opponents time to settle down, he fed it into the right wing to find Stephan Lichtsteiner, who had been left unmarked for some seconds.
Stephan Lichtsteiner was swifter than ever while connecting with the pass. He effortlessly controlled the ball in open space on the right side of the box before drawing his leg back and unleashing a lofted pass towards the area.
Disorder again swept through Lazio's box as the cross from Lichtsteiner flew in like a surface-to-surface missile.
The Lazio center backs in the area pushed off the ground to clear it away with their heads but missed. The Juventus strikers, including Carlos Tevez and Fernando Llorente, tried to go for glory and guide it into the net but also missed. The ball just eluded them and continued flying towards the outer left side of the box until a silhouette wearing a Juventus jersey pounced on it.
The person who had taken action was Zachary. He had chosen a strategic spot in the box and bided his time until he saw the ball evade all the other players. Then, when it was only meters away, he reacted and swung his outstretched leg at it. He caught it on a first-time volley with a bang and sent it bolting toward the goal like a bullet from a sniper.
Whoosh!
A whooshing sound followed the bang as the ball rocketed through the spaces between the players in the box. The keeper once again reacted and tried to save the day. But the sheer velocity behind the effort rendered the poor guy's efforts useless, and the ball flashed just inches away from his outstretched fingers before homing into the back of the net.
Zachary immediately felt like he was swimming in an ocean of happiness when he saw the ball nestle into the back of the net. He had scored yet again and taken his tally for the Coppa Italia to 6 goals. He ran towards the touchline and celebrated like mad as he was already on course to win his first Golden Boot in Italy.
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SS Lazio 0: Juventus FC 1
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In the meantime, the cheers hit a thunderous crescendo as the info on the stadium's jumbotron changed to show the new score.
Juventus had set a lightning-fast tempo right from the get-go and immediately scored a goal during the 3rd minute of gameplay. They were already firmly in the driving seat of the final, even before Lazio could start playing.
Coach Max Allegri watched his players celebrating and nodded to himself. Everything had gone according to plan, with Juventus launching a wave of attack and sustaining pressure on Lazio right after kick-off. The efforts had paid off, and his team was on the right track to win yet another trophy that season.
"Don't relax," he yelled towards his players when they finished celebrating the goal. "Proceed according to plan and continue attacking. But watch out for their counterattacks..."
Coach Allegri paced the entire length of his technical area as he continued shouting instructions at his players. He repeatedly reminded them of their positions and roles to ensure they didn't commit any errors. Then, after the game restarted, he calmly folded his arms across his chest and continued enjoying the performance of his players.
The Lazio players appeared to have woken up after conceding the goal. They started arraying themselves into their 3-4-2-1 formation while linking play through the middle. They seemed to want to use their superior numbers in midfield to overwhelm Juventus in the middle zones.
But was it a good idea to try and overpower a team like Juventus through the middle? The answer was a no, and Juventus soon showed why when Arturo Vidal executed a bold sliding tackle to win possession from Felipe Anderson close to the center line on the right flank during the 11th minute.
Patrice Evra, the wing-back lurking nearby, immediately pounced towards the loose ball. He swiftly collected it and skipped past Senad Luli?, Lazio's wide midfielder, with a swift turn. Then, without waiting for any other opponent to close him down, he unleashed a forward pass, hoping to find Zachary, who had just moved into a pocket of space close to the border of the final third.
Zachary immediately escaped his marker and connected with the pass on the turn. He then executed a few side steps and stepped past an opponent. But before he could take another stride forward, Danilo Cataldi, another Lazio defensive midfielder, swept in with a sliding tackle. The Lazio man caught his calf with the studs of his boot before sending him tumbling to the ground.
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