The Greatest of all Time

Chapter 501 Away Game against Lazio

501  Away Game against Lazio

The long-anticipated Serie A battle between Lazio and Juventus kicked off at 8:45 PM on Saturday within the packed Olimpico di Roma.

For that game, Juventus was gunning for a win so as to cement their lead at the zenith of the Serie A table. On the other hand, Lazio hoped to cause an upset and rise to the fifth position, which happened to be a Europa League spot in Italian football. So, it was another game of high stakes, and it caused a lot of excitement among the fans when the kick-off whistle sounded.

Having won their past fifteen games in both the Serie A and the Champions League, the opening momentum was definitely behind Coach Allegri's men. As soon as the referee's whistle to kick off the game sounded, they showed no signs of slowing down, even while playing at an away ground. They relied on their highly gifted ball distributors, like Zachary Bemba and Andrea Pirlo, to fly out of the traps and tear apart Lazio's 4-3-3 formation on several occasions. And following that, they created three clear chances on goal before eventually taking the lead during the fifth minute of gameplay.

Zachary was the architect again for that opening goal. After receiving a pinpoint pass from Andrea Pirlo, he cut through the left flank like a raging Tsunami before squaring the ball to the immaculately positioned Carlos Tevez. And with that, everything else was straightforward.

Tevez pounced forward to meet the pass with an almost-instantaneous reaction. Then, with a deft touch, he guided the ball past the Lazio goalkeeper to score Juventus' 1st goal for the night. And with that, the score was 1:0 in favor of Juventus.

The goal celebrations ended in a few seconds, and the game continued. However, even after scoring, the Old Lady players didn't relax. It was as if they were not from the international break, as they showed no signs of fatigue on the field of play. They poured forward on multiple occasions to launch deadly attacks against the home team, and it wasn't long before they created another goal-scoring opportunity.

That time around, it was Carlos Tevez who engineered the attack. Having connected with a defense-splitting pass from Andrea Pirlo, he ran at the Lazio defenders like an incarnation of a world-sprinting champion. With his agile footwork, he went past one, then the second, before skipping past the third opponent.

But just as the Argentine was about to escape a fourth opponent, Senad Lulic, one of Lazio's central midfielders, came sliding in from his blindside with an aggressive tackle. And with that, the opposing midfielder caught Tevez on the ankle and sent him tumbling to the ground.

Fortunately for Juventus, the aggressive tackle didn't injure Tevez. Instead, the Argentine had managed to create an excellent free-kick opportunity, which Zachary converted from thirty yards away to score Juventus' second goal for the night. And with that, Juventus was clearly in the driving seat with a two-goal advantage right before half-time.

After the fifteen-minute break, the second half kicked off, with many Lazio fans hoping their team would rise to the occasion and mount some pressure on the visitors. But they soon realized their wishes were merely pipe dreams after the Juventus players started the second half in high gear.

Juventus was flying, and four minutes after the restart, Zachary found himself on the end of a rebound following some brilliant team play and an exchange of clever passes on the left wing. And being in fine form and at the top of his game, he capitalized on the opportunity to steer home from the edge of the box and score Juventus' third goal for the night.

With that, Juventus were on the road to thrashing the opponents. They were already three goals ahead during the 49th minute, and anyone watching the game could tell that they had totally outsmarted Lazio. They were miles ahead in pass completion, creativity, and chance conversion. And due to those impressive attributes, it wasn't long before the Juventus players created another opportunity to score a goal.

During the 62nd minute, Stephan Lichtsteiner dispossessed Keita Baldé, the opposing wing player, close to the border of the defensive third on the right flank. And before any other opponents could close him down, he flicked the ball to Andrea Pirlo to initiate another lightning-fast attack.

From there on, the counterattack was on, and the Juventus players bolted forward. Andrea Pirlo passed to Claudio Marchisio, who quickly passed to Zachary. And before the opposing players could fall back, Zachary escaped the harassment by an opposing player before threading a pass back to Stephan Lichtsteiner on the right flank.

What followed was only natural. Stephan Lichtsteiner used his incredible pace to spear deep into Lazio's half before finding Fernando Llorente with a tricky and clever chip into the box. And with that immaculate assistance, he set up the Spaniard, who quickly hammered home to score Juventus's fourth goal for the night during the 64th minute.

After the goal, Coach Allegri made three straight substitutions hoping to rest his players before the ensuing busy schedule for Juventus. He pulled out Andrea Pirlo, Carlos Tevez, and Zachary and replaced them with Álvaro Morata, Federico Mattiello, and Arturo Vidal.

However, after stepping onto the pitch, the three substitutes couldn't match the level of their predecessors. As a result, Juventus attacking brilliance dropped by quite a bit, thus allowing the Lazio players to push forward and launch attacks of their own.

With Lazio dictating the proceedings on the field, the Juventus players found themselves on the defensive during the final ten minutes of gameplay. And unfortunately, their often-solid defensive capabilities couldn't save them, and they conceded a goal during the 88th minute.

But that was not the end of the action on the field of play. The Lazio players continued battling, hoping to cut the goal deficit even further. They created more opportunities on goal and even came close to scoring on several occasions. Their spirit was brimming, and they were surely causing problems for Juventus.

Fortunately for Juventus, the goddess of luck seemed not to be on Lazio's side. Three of Lazio's well-placed shots missed the target by centimeters, while a few other attempts were intercepted by the defenders or saved by the keeper. The Lazio players could thus not get the second goal, and as such, Juventus won the game 4:1 after three minutes of added time.

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After the game, Zachary didn't immediately return to the dressing room to celebrate with his teammates. Instead, he headed to the press area for the required player's post-match interview.

"Zachary! Welcome, and congratulations on putting up another wonderful performance tonight." The Sky Italia reporter said in English as Zachary stepped in front of the cameras.

"Thank you," Zachary replied.

"You scored another two goals, taking your tally in the Serie A to 12 goals in twelve Serie A appearances," the reporter said, adjusting the microphone slightly. "You also provided an assist for the first goal, taking your number of assists in the Serie A to 13. How do you maintain such a level of consistency in a top league such as the Serie A?"

"By training, of course," Zachary answered. "I have always worked hard as a player, and I'm always looking for opportunities to improve myself. All the hard work allows me to be in the best shape possible during every match. And that's why I can continue performing and scoring goals for my team."

"Is that all?" The reporter pressed.

Zachary thought for a short while before saying, "I have also had ample rest during the 12-day international break. So, I was in the best shape I could ever be for the match against Lazio. I guess that could also have helped."

"Zachary!" The reporter said after a moment. "Juventus' win against Lazio tonight has allowed you and your teammates to accomplish the 12th successive win in the Serie A. Do you believe you can maintain this form and continue winning to achieve an unbeaten run throughout the entire season?"

"Of course, winning all games is our dream as a team," Zachary replied. "As a top team, we've never played to draw or to lose. We always walk onto the pitch and put everything out there, hoping to defeat every opponent, no matter how tough. So, it's only a given that we'll continue doing our utmost to win all our remaining games."

"Of course, we have a challenging series of games coming up," Zachary continued. "We have to face off against Malmö in the Champions League before playing against Torino, Fiorentina, and Atlético Madrid in a short three weeks window. Those are all demanding games. They will obviously test our resilience and capabilities as a team. But with the depth in our squad, I still believe we can win them all, especially if we continue working hard and playing as a team on the field of play."

"Thank you, Zachary, for staying back to talk to us," the reporter said in a conclusive tone. "I wish you all the best in your upcoming matches. Enjoy the rest of your evening, and goodbye."

"Enjoy your evening, too," Zachary said before stepping away from the cameras. Then, after shaking hands with the reporter and the camera crew, he left the press area and quickly headed to the dressing room. He was in a rush as he didn't want to miss the team bus back to Turin.

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