Zachary's mind was calm like still water as he quickly moved the ball forward. As he jogged, his S-graded spatial awareness worked like the best of charms, and his eyes took in everything, major and minor, around the pitch.
Carlos Tevez had initiated a spirited run toward Cagliari's box through the right flank while Alvaro Morata was bolting through the middle of the pitch. As for Roberto Pereyra, Juventus' other midfielder — he had just raced into an unmarked pocket of space close to the center circle and was eagerly motioning for Zachary to pass the ball to him.
But what surprised Zachary was that he noticed that the three Cagliari midfielders were all out of position. For instance, Daniele Conti, Cagliari's captain, had floated off to the right flank to keep an eye on Stephan Lichtsteiner, Juventus' highly agile attacking wing-back, while Albin Ekdal, Cagliari's other defensive midfielder, was keeping track of Arturo Vidal towards the left flank. As for Andrea Cossu, Cagliari's last central midfielder, he was quickly closing down Zachary, hoping to pressure him to release the ball.
The three Cagliari midfielders were obviously trying their best to execute a man-to-man marking tactic to keep Juventus at bay. But after being drawn out of their respective positions by the highly technical Old Lady players, they had left the middle spaces unchecked, thus leaving a very clear and unmarked highway, from Zachary's position, through the middle and all the way to Cagliari's backline.
And by making such an amateur mistake during the execution of their tactics, the Cagliari men were surely begging for a beating. And if Zachary could get past Andrea Cossu, the only Cagliari midfielder, who was quickly closing down on his position, he might be able to make something out of nothing by going at it alone.
"Fortune favors the bold..."
Such a thought flashed through Zachary's mindscape, and at that crucial moment, with barely 30 minutes remaining to the 90-minute mark, he made a bold decision. He ignored the calls of all his teammates and took off towards the other side of the pitch like a flying arrow just let loose by a mighty archer.
A second or so later, he came across the first obstacle in the form of Andrea Cossu, the Cagliari midfielder. And it was at that moment that the boos and monkey chants in the stadium hit another new high as he prepared to take on the Cagliari man.
While trying his best to maintain a steady mind, Zachary slowed down to draw in the opponent. Then, just as Andrea Cossu was a meter away, Zachary stepped over the ball once with his left leg while letting his body follow through with the step-over.
Consequently, Zachary's tall frame leaned toward the left, giving the impression that he was just about to bolt past Andrea Cossu from that direction. However, as the opponent took the bait and tilted toward the same side, hoping to make a block, Zachary abruptly altered his center of gravity and collected the ball with his right foot.
His heart racing like a predator on the hunt, he abruptly shifted his frame towards the right by relying on his incredible agility and body control. He then prodded the ball forward and zoomed past Andrea Cossu while readjusting his posture to regain his sprinting form. Then, a second later, his legs pumped like the pistons of a race car, and he dashed through the space neglected by the Cagliari midfielders. He was on a mission to quickly help his team turn the tides and score a goal before it was too late.
"BOOOO...."
"BOOO..."
As Zachary sprinted forth, loud boos, maddening screams, and irritating monkey chants reverberated, like an antistrophe, instituting a wild typhoon of jeers in Cagliari's home stadium. Those noises shook the entire place and eventually resounded in Zachary's ears. And even while in the zone, those deliberate racial insults jolted his mood and threatened to affect his momentum as he raced forward with the ball.
But fortunately, he'd already prepared himself when he decided to run with the ball. So, he didn't try to suppress his emotions but allowed himself to feel the rage from all the booing and jeering. And like a wild horse on a rampage, he let the anguish boil within him before it manifested into a wild frenzy, propelling him forward.
"Whoosh!"
Fueled by his anguish, he continued cutting through the pitch like an incarnation of the Flash and soon started bearing down on Cagliari's box. His momentum was unstoppable, and he magically and repeatedly raced past opponent after opponent before eventually making it to the space before Cagliari's 18-yard box. Then, just before the Cagliari's center backs could close him down, he surveyed the situation ahead of him with a single glance and decided to go for the spectacular.
"BAM..."
The next moment, the sound of his boot connecting with the ball was audible in his ears as he smashed the ball from twenty yards away. His shooting skills and sharpness came into play, and he unleashed a hell of a missile toward the top right corner of the goal.
"Please, go in..."
Zachary clenched his fists as he sent the ball flying. His intent was to score a spectacular goal and silence all the fans jeering at him. He was also hoping to score quickly — and, in so doing, give Juventus a chance to come back into the game within the final minutes of gameplay.
However, the next instant, Zachary felt his mood sink deep into the abyss of desperation, feeling like the world was working against him. He couldn't contain his frustration as he noticed that Alessio Cragno, the Cagliari keeper, had grazed the ball with his fingertips after making a spectacular dive. As such, the shot-stopper had barely managed to send it off its trajectory, thus sending it out of play for a corner kick. The man had once again saved Cagliari from conceding a goal during the 62nd minute.
"F*ck..."
Zachary couldn't help but mumble a couple of expletives as he watched the ball bouncing out of play. He'd placed the shot immaculately but still failed to score due to the alertness of the keeper. As a result, his mental state and confidence took another blow, and he could only place his hands at the back of his head with regret.
"Zachary! BOOO..."
"Zachary! Screech! Screech..."
Right then, before Zachary could calm himself down, the Cagliari fans in the stands behind the goal initiated another wave of verbal attacks on Zachary. They hurled out insults, vocalized monkey chants, and even pointed middle fingers at him. They were obviously going all out to affect his state of mind, hoping to make him even less of a threat to their team. Their shamelessness knew no bounds, and they were slowly but steadily wearing away Zachary's self-control.
"Zachary! You need to remain calm..." A gentle pat on Zachary's shoulder helped him calm down as he was about to explode with fury. Turning around, he came face to face with Kwadwo Asamoah, Juventus' left attacking wing back, who happened to be watching him with concern.
"Don't be angry at them," Kwadwo Asamoah continued without allowing Zachary a chance to speak. "You can think of them as a bunch of ignorant fools or barking dogs, and you shouldn't lower yourself to their level. Okay?"
"Okay," Zachary responded, taking a deep breath. "I'm calm enough."
Kwadwo Asamoah smiled and said, "Then, I'm glad. Just remember that if you could help us defeat Cagliari in such an atmosphere, that would be the perfect response to their insults. If we can score many goals against them and thrash them so hard that the entire stadium falls silent... Or if we can stifle their shouts by dominating them on the pitch such that they are even ashamed to call themselves Cagliari supporters... How good can that be? For me, that is the perfect revenge against them. Do you understand?"
"Yes, I do," Zachary replied with a simple nod. He felt incredibly pumped and psyched after listening to his teammate's words. As such, he yearned to do even more to help his team overpower Cagliari.
"Thanks." He said to Kwadwo Asamoah after a moment.
"Don't sweat it. Teammates are there to help each other out." The Ghanaian replied with a smile. Then, smiling slightly, he continued, "The clock is ticking. So, let's quickly prepare for the corner. And remember that the whole team is always with you."
"Okay..."
Zachary exchanged a few more words with a few other teammates, including Giorgio Chiellini, Juventus' assistant captain, before taking a position right outside the box to attack the corner. At that moment, he was at the peak of his concentration as he had already pushed the boos from the crowd to the back of his mind. He was waiting and biding his time, ready to take any chance that came his way and, in so doing, get some sweet revenge on the Cagliari fans.
*FWEEEEEEE*
After organizing the players within the box, the referee blew the whistle and motioned for Juventus to take the corner kick. Immediately after, Stephan Lichtsteiner, Juventus' wing-back, quickly took the corner and sent a curling ball toward Cagliari's box.
It was a chance for Juventus to test Cagliari's keeper. As such, most of Juventus' players, including Giorgio Chiellini, Carlos Tevez, and Arturo Vidal, leaped up to meet the corner ball. They all battled the Cagliari players for aerial superiority, hoping to meet the corner ball and score an opening goal for Juventus.
However, once again, luck was not on Juventus' side. The Cagliari keeper leaped high and made another timely intervention by punching the ball away from the area and toward the middle. And in so doing, he managed to save Cagliari from conceding a goal during the 64th minute.
"There's still a chance..."
Zachary, who happened to have not made a run into the box, sensed an opportunity as he noticed that the keeper had not punched the ball far enough. He immediately judged that the ball would land only about a dozen yards from the box before springing into action.
He chased after the ball like a whirlwind and got to it before any of the opponents could close him down. He controlled it immaculately before quickly whirling around and looping it over a fast-approaching opponent.
However, that was not the end of his magic. Keeping the ball close to his feet, he bounded forward and dashed past another opponent with a simple shift of pace.
His angled run took him toward the left side of the box and further away from the mouth of the goal. Fortunately, he also drew away the Cagliari defenders from their positions as they chased after him, hoping to close down his shooting angle towards the near post. Additionally, he also tricked the Cagliari keeper into shifting toward the near post with his sprint, thus leaving the rest of the goal undefended.
"Chance..."
The gears in Zachary's mind shifted and fell into place, and within anything but an instant, he judged that there was a gap in Cagliari's defense. He acted immediately, relaxed his spine, and dug his boot under the ball. And with the most delicate of touches, he lifted the ball and looped it over all the defenders in the box, hoping to find the top right corner of the far post.
"Silence!"
All the rowdy Cagliari fans behind the posts turned silent as the ball drew a parabola from the left side of the box toward the undefended part of the goal. Most probably, they were praying and hoping for the ball to hit the post and bounce out of play. But alas, they were out of luck at that moment, and Zachary's well-placed effort continued moving forward before grazing off the post and eventually homing into the back of the net.
