THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME-Chapter 480: Reaction

"What a sensational finish!" The commentator's mellifluous voice resounded in sync with the thunderous cheers of the home fans around the stadium. "Mario Mandzukic, Atlético Madrid's Croatian center-forward, has scored the opening goal in the 34th minute. It's now Atlético Madrid one and Juventus nil. The Madrid side is ahead even after being on the back foot since the first minute."

"Really incredible stuff!" The co-commentator chimed in. "Juventus has been on the front foot and has dominated over 70% possession for most of the first half. But the Turin-based side still couldn't make anything out of their overwhelming statistics. Instead, it's the team from Madrid that has utilized its first chance on goal to find the back of the net in this highly-contested Champions League group game."

"That's Diego Simeone's Atlético Madrid for you," the commentator said. "You can dominate them in possession and other statistics, but they will still defeat you at the end of the match. That's how they broke Barcelona and Real Madrid's dominance before becoming the champions of Spain last season. They're an incredibly tactically disciplined side under their passionate manager, Diego Simeone."

"That's true," the co-commentator agreed. "I'm sure Coach Allegri should be angry with Arturo Vidal for losing the ball that easily. Had he not lost possession, then Atlético Madrid would have found it hard to create any chance on goal during the first half..."

Paolo Favero, a staunch Juventus fan, was totally dejected while following the Spanish commentary in the visiting fans section of the Vicente Calderón Stadium. He was angry and disappointed as his ears took in the thunderous cheers of the Atlético Madrid fans.

Paolo had traveled all the way from Turin to Madrid — to watch his team put on a show and defeat the weaker Madrid side. Over the past few days, Paolo had constantly visualized Juventus putting three past the Atlético Madrid keeper within the first half an hour of gameplay. But during the 34th minute, his hopes had sunk down the drain after the Atlético Madrid side utilized their first chance on goal to score and gain an advantage during the heated Champions League group battle.

"Why did Coach Allegri play Zachary on striking today?" He grumbled after the cheers died down. "Why did he take him out of our midfield? I don't understand the coach's thinking?"

"I also don't get the coach's thinking," Giovanni Favero, his brother, replied from beside him. "Zachary should be the perfect person to break down Atlético Madrid's midfield. But the coach has played him out of his natural position. It's absurd."

Paolo Favero sighed and nodded while his eyes continued taking in the proceedings on the pitch. The goal celebrations had already ended, and the game had just restarted. Juventus was once again on the ball, playing patient — but short passes.

The Old Lady players were obviously trying to stretch and find a way through Atlético Madrid's 4-5-1 defensive system. They remained confident and passed the ball immaculately among themselves for the next seven minutes. Their teamwork was incredible, and they once again hoarded over 70% ball possession while sustaining pressure on Atlético Madrid's defense. But they still couldn't find a goal-scoring opportunity, despite their relentless efforts. No matter how hard they tried, they couldn't break through Atlético Madrid's tenacious defense.

"I think Juventus is in trouble," Paolo Favero suddenly heard the commentator say. "Their passing is immaculate, and they are again dominating the possession. However, they are still far from breaking down Atlético Madrid and creating goal-scoring opportunities. They haven't involved their strikers in their build-up. Additionally, they have really not tested the Atlético Madrid keeper since the commencement of the game."

"That's right," the co-commentator agreed. "I think Coach Diego Simeone's tactics are spot on today. He has isolated Zachary and Tévez, the two Juventus strikers. And by keeping Andrea Pirlo, Juventus' deep-lying playmaker, in check, he has choked Juventus' transition from midfield to striking. That's why Coach Allegri's men have not managed to penetrate Atlético Madrid's defense. They even haven't had a single shot on target since the commencement of the game. Truly surprising!"

"True," the commentator said. "Let's return to the proceedings on the pitch. It's Patrice Evra on the ball. He races past Raúl García and passes to Claudio Marchisio, the Juventus midfielder. Marchisio is on the ball. He twists and turns away from Koke before passing to Andrea Pirlo."

"Pirlo receives the ball. He controls it and tries to skip past Saúl Ñíguez with his second touch. But, Oh my God! He has been robbed by Ñíguez, and Atlético Madrid wins possession..."

"Damn it!" Paolo Favero's mood sunk. He tightened his fists as he watched Saúl Ñíguez win the ball from Andrea Pirlo with a sliding tackle. Then, before the other Juventus players could react, Ñíguez picked himself from the ground and kicked the ball to Mario Mandzukic to initiate another counter against Juventus.

"It's another counterattack from Atlético Madrid..." The commentator's voice resounded in the stadium as the Atlético Madrid offensive players flew forward. At that moment, they attacked as a unit and exchanged lightning-fast passes. They tore through the field like a pack of wolves — and in a matter of seconds; they were bearing down on Juventus' box.

A second later, the ball found its way back to Mario Mandzukic, who had positioned himself, in an unmarked pocket of space, on the left edge of the box. The Croatian center-forward wasted no time controlling the ball mid-sprint before riffling in a carpet shot toward the bottom left corner.

Zachary, who was in the center circle, was nervous as his eyes followed the ball. With one glance, he could tell that Mario Mandzukic's effort was on target and headed toward the bottom left corner. It was obviously another chance for Atlético Madrid to score and extend their lead.

However, it seemed that the goddess of luck was with Juventus at that instant. Gianluigi Buffon, the Juventus keeper, was alert. He reacted immediately and went into action with an acrobatic dive. He stretched forth and grazed the ball with his fingertips, thus sending it off its intended trajectory.

With that incredible save, the keeper managed to save Juventus from conceding a second goal during the 43rd minute. However, the danger was still at large within Juventus' box. That was because the ball smashed off the post before rebounding back into the box. It immediately induced a scuffle in the area as the players of both teams went after the ball with all the haste they could muster.

But luckily for Juventus, it was Leonardo Bonucci who got the last laugh. The center-back pounced forward like a raging beast and smashed the ball toward the other side of the pitch. His powerful and timely clearance managed to get Juventus out of a precarious situation right before halftime.

"Whoosh!"

Zachary immediately took off after the ball. His almost instantaneous acceleration allowed him to escape from his markers in the center circle. Then, he raced toward the left wing — towards the position of the descending ball as if his life was on the line.

After arriving close to the touchline on the left, he stretched out his leg and brought the ball under control with a deft touch. His immaculate ball control elicited cheers and gasps from the crowd. But he remained focused as he whirled around and accelerated towards Atlético Madrid's box like a bullet train on the rails.

His S+ Agility was on full display as his long strides ate up yards of space, and he stepped into the final third within seconds. But just as he was cutting into the pitch, on a straight course towards Atlético Madrid's goal, he ran into a roadblock in the form of Diego Godín, the opposing center-back.

The center-back was racing forward, all guns blazing, as if he wanted to murder Zachary. However, Zachary didn't choose to tango with the defender. He instead flicked the ball to his right to find Carlos Tévez, the other Juventus striker. Then, he immediately altered his running course to circumvent the approaching Diego Godín.

Carlos Tévez, on his part, was also quite impressive. He connected with the ball from Zachary mid-sprint and continued racing toward Atlético Madrid's goal like the wind. Then, when the keeper came out of the box to intercept his run, he selflessly squared the ball back to his left to find Zachary, who was running in sync with him.

Zachary was as composed as ever before the goal. He controlled the ball at the edge of the box before smashing it into the back of the empty net with his left foot. Then, without halting, he raced toward the sidelines to celebrate the equalizer for Juventus with his teammates.

"GOAL!" The commentator's voice reverberated across the stadium as Zachary raced to the sidelines to celebrate with his teammates. "Truly sensational! Zachary has linked up with Carlos Tévez to score an equalizer for Juventus during the 44th minute. With lightning-fast exchanges, they have managed to break down Atlético Madrid's tenacity, and the score is now back to square one. It's Atlético Madrid one and Juventus one. What a wonderful game of football!"

"Yes, truly sensational stuff from Juventus," the co-commentator chimed in. "Talk about being clinical! The Juventus strikers are as sharp as ever. They have created something out of nothing. With one opportunity, they have leveled the playing ground again."

"True," the commentator agreed. "It all began with Leonardo Bonucci's clearance. Then, Zachary controlled the ball with perfection before going at the Atlético Madrid defense like mad. He linked up with Tévez to beat the remaining center-back before burying the ball into the back of the net. We've just witnessed Juventus at its best. Truly amazing football!"