The remaining minutes of the game were all about game management for Juventus. All the Old Lady players fell back to defend against AC Milan's continuous attacks after Carlos Tévez got them the second goal. They remained compact to prevent the opponents from creating goal-scoring opportunities and even resorted to time-wasting tactics to run down the clock. Overall, their defensive discipline was exemplary during the final minutes, and they managed to protect their lead until the final whistle sounded.
At that moment, when the game ended, the San Siro Stadium exploded with thunderous cheers that shook its foundation. The visiting Juventus fans took it upon themselves to overpower their rival fans with their deep and booming voices. They sang the Juventus anthem for minutes before chanting the names of each of their players. They were having a wonderful time in Milan after their club defeated one of their fiercest rivals by two goals to nil. Not even the loud booing of the few remaining AC Milan supporters in the stadium could deter them from expressing their joy.
In the meantime, the Juventus players were also making rounds around the pitch while waving to their jubilant supporters. Their wide grins were a testament to their delight after they overcame a red card disadvantage and overpowered a tenacious AC Milan side at the San Siro.
"You fulfilled your promise and passed me the ball at the right moment," Kingsley Coman said in French as he gave Zachary a celebratory hug. "Your assist allowed me to score my first goal against AC Milan. Thank you."
"No problem," Zachary said as he returned the hug. "I'm glad you scored. But too bad that we got that red card. Otherwise, we might have linked up to create a few more goals."
Kingsley Coman chuckled. "True! But what is important is that we won the game. We can relax since we're already leading the Serie A table."
"Who says you can relax?" The familiar voice of Coach Trombetta interrupted their happy moment. "We play Casena away from home on Wednesday before welcoming Atalanta to the Juventus stadium on Saturday! Those are two matches in a short span of four days! How can you think of relaxing?"
In response, Kingsley grinned sheepishly and chose not to respond. His expression was like that of a young student caught by a teacher committing a wrong.
Coach Trombetta smiled after noticing his reaction. "Guys! Even though we can't relax, we can still celebrate our victory today. Congratulations on defeating AC Milan today. Both of you were exceptional on the pitch."
"Thanks, coach," Both Kingsley and Zachary responded almost in response.
Coach Trombetta nodded and turned towards Zachary. "You're on press duty today along with Buffon. Head to the press area for the post-match interview. There are reporters ready to ask you questions in English."
"Okay," Zachary readily agreed. He knew that press duty was mandatory for every professional player, especially in big clubs. So, he had to go and face the journalists whether he wanted or not. "Anything I should watch out for?" He asked Coach Trombetta.
"Just be yourself," Coach Trombetta responded. "But don't cause any publicity issues for the club."
"Okay, I will take note," Zachary said. He nodded to Kingsley Coman before whirling around and jogging toward the press areas. A minute later, he was standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Buffon in front of the cameras, ready and waiting for the post-match interview to begin.
"Welcome, gentlemen!" The Sky Italia reporter said, smiling. He held the microphone towards Buffon and continued, "You overcame a red card disadvantage and defeated AC Milan at the San Siro. How are you feeling?"
"Terrific," Buffon responded, shifting around. "It always feels good to defeat AC Milan at the San Siro. Moreover, we have also kept a clean sheet and ascended to the top of the Serie A table. That makes our win today even more satisfying."
The reporter smiled. "As a keeper, you were impressive today. You made many incredible saves to ensure that your team didn't concede a goal. You even came out on top after a one-on-one encounter with Jérémy Ménez. How did you manage that?"
"By remaining focused, of course," Buffon replied matter-of-factly. "My team was playing with a red card disadvantage. So, as a keeper, I had to do my best to prevent AC Milan from scoring even a single goal. With that resolve, things worked well for me, and I kept a clean sheet during the game."
"You're also the man of the match because of your incredible performance," the reporter reminded.
Buffon chuckled and shook his head. "I don't think so. The man of the match should be Zachary. He provided the two assists that resulted in our two goals. He deserves the honor, as we wouldn't have gotten any result out of the game without him."
"But we would have conceded several goals had it not been for your incredible saves," Zachary argued. "That's why the man of the match honor is yours to take home tonight."
Buffon chuckled and shook his head in response. But he didn't continue arguing, probably because he was in front of the cameras.
"Zachary!" The reporter said with a chuckle. "As Buffon said, your impact on the game was incredible. During the first half, you remained composed and set up Kingsley Coman for the first goal. But that wasn't as impressive as how you set up Carlos Tévez for the second goal. I thought you were going to lose the ball. But you surprised me. You surprised everyone and danced out of that crowd of opposing players before unleashing that sweet pass that set up Tévez for the third goal. How did you achieve all that within seconds?"
Zachary laughed and scratched his beard. "Honestly," he said, "I don't know. There was only one thing on my mind at that moment. That was to get the ball away from my box as soon as possible. So, I followed my instincts and found a way out of the crowd of opponents. I created some space for myself, and the rest was easy. I passed the ball to Carlos Tévez, who completed the rest and scored our third goal."
The reporter chuckled and said, "You make the entire process sound so easy. But if I may ask: Weren't you worried about losing the ball while dribbling through all those opponents in front of the box? During the pre-season game against AC Milan, that's what happened. You lost the ball to Sulley Muntari, who, in turn, initiated the counter that resulted in your team conceding a goal."
Zachary smiled and shook his head. "My error during the pre-season was only a one-time mistake. I learned a valuable lesson from the mistake and became a better player. I'm now more confident on the ball and unafraid while taking on opponents. I won't easily lose the belief that I'll come out on top, even against a crowd of opponents."
The reporter nodded and smiled. "Gentlemen! Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions. I know you have to prepare to head back to Turin today. So, let's end the interview here. Once again, congratulations on winning the game today."
"You're welcome," Zachary and Buffon answered in unison before stepping away from the cameras. They were in a hurry as they had to quickly join their teammates and prepare for the return trip to Turin.
**** ****
Emilia Vasquez once again hosted ESPN's post-match analysis show for AC Milan's game against Juventus. After watching Zachary's post-match interview, she faced the cameras with her signature smile and said, "That was an interesting post-match interview. Don't you think so, gentlemen?"
Shaka Hislop, one of the pundits in the studio, chuckled when the cameras focused on him. "I like how Zachary simplifies that whole build-up to Juventus' 2nd goal. He basically said that he unknowingly dribbled his way out of the crowd of opponents before providing a simple pass to Carlos Tévez. It was as if he was talking about something inconsequential, like going to McDonald's on the weekend to enjoy a burger."
"But jokes aside," Shaka Hislop continued, "Zachary is steadily growing into his role at Juventus. He's a very talented and freakishly versatile player who's quickly becoming a pillar that instills confidence in teammates. If he can maintain his form throughout the season, he might make it onto the list of Ballon d'Or nominees next year."
"Or he might just win the Ballon d'Or," Joshua Morales, the other pundit, chimed in. "Imagine a scenario where Juventus wins the Serie A, the Champions League, and the Copa Italia. Wouldn't Zachary win the Ballon d'Or if he helped his team win those three trophies?"
Steve Nicol, the third pundit, chuckled, shaking his head. "Gentlemen! I think we're getting ahead of ourselves here. The season has just commenced, and you're already debating next year's Ballon d'Or winners! We should instead discuss whether he will win the Golden Boy award this year."
"The Golden Boy award is a done deal for Zachary," Joshua Morales said matter-of-factly. "He has no competition for that award. He will take home the accolade if he remains consistent during Juventus' upcoming games."
"Speaking of which, when is the shortlist for the Golden Boy award coming out?" Steve Nicol asked.
"The nominee list should be out within the next few weeks," Joshua Morales said. "At least, by October 20th."
