THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME-Chapter 479: Against Atlético Madrid

The cheers around the Vicente Calderón Stadium hit a thunderous crescendo when the clock hands all around Madrid pointed to the 8:38 PM mark. Under the expectant gazes of the more than 40,000 supporters in the stadium, both teams followed the four match officials and slowly lined up in front of the tunnel.

The Atlético Madrid players were in their official striped red and white home jerseys matched with blue shorts. On the other hand, the Juventus players had donned their rare all-green away kits for that face-off against the Madrid side. They all looked dapper as they went through the pre-match routines before running off into the pitch to take their starting positions.

In the meantime, Coach Allegri also shook hands with Diego Simeone, the tactician who had guided Atlético Madrid to La Liga glory the previous season. Since only a few minutes remained until the commencement of the game, the two coaches only exchanged a few words before stepping back toward their respective technical areas. Then, they took their seats and patiently waited for the game to begin.

After occupying a position on the visitor's bench, Massimiliano Allegri began surveying the pitch. His eyes swept over the referee and then a few of his defenders and midfielders before settling on Zachary. The next moment, the coach's spirits lifted when he noticed that the young number ten was already warming up while assessing the opposition. He seemed as ready as ever to play the game and unleash his impressive skills upon the Atlético Madrid side.

"I really hope he can deliver," Coach Allegri thought. Over the past two weeks, he'd spent countless hours watching Atlético Madrid's previous match videos. His time before the screen was fruitful, and he'd eventually learned how scary Atlético Madrid could be on the defensive. You could dominate them in possession and other statistics, but in the end, they could still have the last laugh and defeat you just by relying on their tenacious defensive abilities. They were a scary team, and that was why Coach Allegri had come up with the idea of playing the overly clinical Zachary on striking.

The coach needed Zachary up front to apply pressure on Atlético Madrid's center-backs and hopefully score a goal or two. He needed the boy wonder's sharpness and clinicality to help Juventus win their first Champions League group stage fixture against Atlético Madrid.

The minutes passed quickly — and soon, the clock hands all around Madrid pointed to the 8:45 PM mark. Without further ado, the referee blew the whistle to kick start that evening's UEFA Champions League game between Atlético Madrid and Juventus.

"It begins."

Since Zachary was the striker, he was positioned over the ball at the center spot and responsible for kicking off the play that evening. After hearing the whistle, he reacted immediately and kicked the ball back into his midfield, hoping to find Andrea Pirlo. He then took off to the other side of the pitch, eager to take up his attacking position.

Andrea Pirlo, on his part, controlled the ball from Zachary with ease. Following that, he whirled around before passing to Claudio Marchisio, one of his counterparts in midfield.

Marchisio was also quick on the ball. He took a single touch while assessing the situation around him. Then, before any of the opponents could close him down, he unleashed a grounded pass toward the wings to find Stephan Lichtsteiner, Juventus' attacking wing-back.

Stephan Lichtsteiner was as impressive as ever on the ball. He controlled it with a single touch and immediately skipped past Koke, one of Atlético Madrid's midfielders. Then, before any other opponent could close him down, he took off and raced along the touchline, spearing deeper into Atlético Madrid's half. When the angle finally opened up, he squared the ball back into the middle to find Andrea Pirlo, the Juventus Maestro, who'd just run into an unmarked pocket of space close to the center line.

Andre Pirlo, on his part, connected with the ball from Stephan Lichtsteiner with ease. But before he could take a second touch, Saúl Ñíguez, one of Atlético Madrid's three midfielders, was on him, all guns blazing.

Saúl Ñíguez was merciless while approaching the Italian maestro. He slid forth wholesale, trying to tackle the ball off Andrea's feet. But his challenge was a bit late, and he missed the ball. Instead, he caught Andrea Pirlo on the ankle and swept him off the ground. He'd obviously committed a dangerous foul in the 2nd minute of gameplay.

"Ref! Foul!"

Arturo Vidal, who was in the vicinity, was the first to yell out after Andrea Pirlo tumbled down and hit the green. The Chilean midfielder rushed to the scene and was soon in the referee's face, complaining about how ruthless Saúl Ñíguez's foul had been. But Vidal wasn't alone while expressing his dissatisfaction with Ñíguez's challenge. The other Juventus players, including Zachary, showed solidarity at that moment. They arrived at the scene and started causing chaos while voicing their complaints. They were obviously exerting pressure upon the referee so he could consider offering a yellow card to Ñíguez.

However, the Juventus players soon realized that they were barking up the wrong tree. Felix Brych, the referee, turned a deaf ear to all their complaints. He only awarded Juventus a free-kick and then waved the medical team onto the pitch to provide first-aid treatment for the seemingly injured Andrea Pirlo. But he didn't bother to show Saúl Ñíguez, the player who had committed the dangerous foul, a yellow card.

"Referee! We're not happy with your decision."

Giorgio Chiellini, the vice-captain, grumbled after the referee refused to show a yellow card to Saúl Ñíguez. The center-back went on another verbal war with the referee while the medics tended to Andrea Pirlo. But once again, the vice captain's complaints fell on deaf ears.

The referee turned away and busied himself with marking out the spot for the free-kick. He was obviously not about to consider Chiellini's complaints.

"Let's ignore the referee and prepare for the free-kick," Zachary suggested, intending to cool down the heated atmosphere around the scene. He pulled Chiellini away from the referee and continued, "It's not good to anger the referee, especially so early in the game. Let's cool down and focus on the game."

"Okay." Giorgio Chiellini nodded. He seemed to have calmed down after voicing his dissatisfaction.

*FWEEEEEEE*

The referee blew the whistle after the medics finished tending to Andrea Pirlo. Claudio Marchisio immediately took the free-kick short, and Juventus resumed their attack. Over the next few minutes, the football was free flowing as water, as the Old Lady players moved the ball from one end of the field to the other as they tried to stretch Atlético Madrid's defensive shape. They arrayed themselves in their 3-5-2 system as they outplayed the Madrid side and hoarded over 70% of the possession.

The Juventus players with the most touches were obviously Andrea Pirlo, Claudio Marchisio, Arturo Vidal, Patrice Evra, and Stephan Lichtsteiner, who were the five midfielders. They would form triangles and move the ball around the pitch while looking for an opportunity to thread a defense-splitting pass to Zachary and Tévez, the two strikers. And if there were no opportunities, they would instead play the ball into the wings for the wing-backs to deliver crosses into the box. Their versatility was top-notch that evening, and they further cemented Juventus' dominance during the first thirty minutes. But despite their exceptional performance, they still failed to break apart the tenacity of Atlético Madrid during the opening minutes.

The Atlético Madrid players, on their part, were exceptionally disciplined while alternating between a 4-3-3 and a 4-5-1 defensive shape. They remained compact and solid in their approach and didn't allow Juventus to break through their ranks. And if a need arose, they wouldn't hesitate to foul and bring down any Juventus player that tried to penetrate through their defense. They were ruthless individually and as a unit and thus prevented Juventus from scoring an opening goal during the first thirty minutes of gameplay.

But what was surprising was that the referee didn't show any of the Atlético Madrid players a yellow card, no matter how many fouls they committed. First, they fouled Andrea Pirlo during the 2nd minute. Then, they committed other ruthless fouls against Patrice Evra, Carlos Tévez, and Stephan Lichtsteiner. But the referee chose to remain silent and didn't caution them. As a result, they continued pushing the envelope and committing more dangerous tackles since there were no consequences for their actions so far. And that was the other reason they managed to keep Juventus at bay during the first thirty minutes of gameplay.

Zachary, on his part, had been following the coach's instructions to the letter. He had not once tried to fall back and help out his teammates. Instead, he'd positioned himself in the pocket of space between the center-backs while waiting patiently for an opportunity to test Atlético Madrid's keeper.

He hadn't seen much of the ball during the opening thirty minutes, especially since he was always tightly marked by two towering Atlético Madrid center-backs. He was bored and was just like a spectator, watching the rest of his teammates playing one-touch or two-touch football. He really missed playing in the midfield, where he could constantly be at the center of things.

"Oh, no!"

Suddenly, Zachary's heart went on a wild caper within his chest. He let out a silent yelp as he watched Saúl Ñíguez, Atlético Madrid's midfielder, slide in and win the ball from Arturo Vidal close to the halfway line.

At that moment, it was as if all the Atlético Madrid midfielders and attackers had just woken up. They swarmed forward like a pack of wolves while moving the ball quickly among themselves. Their one-two exchanges were lightning-fast and precise, and they managed to tear through Juventus' defense in mere seconds. They arrived in the final third, and the ball naturally found its way to Koke, Atlético Madrid's creative midfielder.

Koke remained composed as he controlled the ball and skipped past Martín Cáceres, one of Juventus' defenders. His impressive footwork and trickery opened a passing angle for him, and he unleashed a simple but deadly ball past the approaching Giorgio Chiellini. He beat the Italian defender with his well-timed through ball and released Mario Mandzukic, Atlético Madrid's center-forward, on a straight course toward Juventus' goal.

"Whoosh!"

Mario Mandzukic was like the wind as he beat the offside trap and connected with the well-timed pass. He controlled the ball mid-sprint and continued racing toward Juventus' box like there was no tomorrow.

Gianluigi Buffon, the Juventus keeper, reacted as any keeper should. He raced out of goal, hoping to save the situation by intercepting the approaching Mario Mandzukic.

But Mandzukic, being the sharp striker he was, remained composed under such circumstances. He rounded Gianluigi Buffon with a deft touch before burying the ball into the empty net to score Atlético Madrid's 1st goal for the night. Then, without halting, he raced toward the sidelines to celebrate with the rest of his teammates.