Published at 11th of December 2023 7:20 pm

Chapter 583 A Good and Bad First Half

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The game continued after the celebrations.

It was as if the opening goal had injected another wave of energy into the Juventus players. They continued playing intricate passing football, characterized by slow build-ups leading to abrupt through passes into the heart of the opposing defense. Their 4-3-1-2 formation worked wonders, allowing them to control possession over the following few minutes.

The game then fell into a stable rhythm, with everything looking fine and dandy in the case of Juventus. But just as the 22nd minute approached, something unexpected transpired in the heart of the Old Lady's defense.

After receiving a backward pass from Andrea Pirlo, Giorgio Chiellini, one of Juventus' center-backs, was unlucky to slip while trying to play a routine long ball. The mistake cost his team greatly and allowed Marco Reus, Dortmund's winger who happened to be nearby, to take full advantage.

The crafty Marco Reus wasted no time pouncing on the loose ball before any other Juventus defenders could react. He then used his pace to cut into the box before slotting a curling shot past Gianluigi Buffon. His effort was spot on, and he found the inside of the far post to score the first and equalizing goal for Dortmund during the 22nd minute.

"Well, that came out of nowhere," Ian Crocker, the commentator, said as Marco Reus ran to the sidelines to celebrate the goal. "Juventus has been dominating proceedings ever since they scored the opening goal. But one blunder of Giorgio Chiellini, their center-back, gifted the opponents a rare chance to score and bring proceedings back to square one. The score is now 1:1. A game of football can really change within moments."

"Indeed," Tony Gale, the other commentator, concurred. "The goal is even more significant for Dortmund since it's a crucial away goal that can determine whether they qualify if they tie the aggregate score after the second leg of these semi-finals. Unless Juventus scores another goal, the German outfit will head into the second leg with a clear advantage."

In the meantime, the game resumed with a Juventus kick-off. The Old Lady players didn't allow the unexpected goal they conceded to affect them in any way. They stuck to the game plan and continued dictating the tempo with brilliant exchanges, especially in the middle.

Zachary, in particular, became more active. He was constantly on the move in the midfield and occasionally floating into the wings while exchanging passes with his teammates. His ingenious and dynamic playing style brought calm and confidence to his team. It also allowed Juventus to take back control of the game.

Juventus then continued dictating the tempo as the game approached the 30th minute. They even started creating clear goal-scoring chances, with Carlos Tevez coming close to scoring with a header during the 32nd minute and álvaro Morata wasting a one-on-one opportunity against the Dortmund keeper three minutes later.

The Dortmund players, on their part, remained defensive for most of the game and only launched occasional counterattacks. Due to Juventus' dominance on the field, they didn't even get opportunities to execute Coach Jürgen Klopp's signature gegenpressing. They mostly remained in their half while holding on for dear life against Juventus' relentlessness.

A few minutes passed in that manner, and just when the game was approaching the 40th minute, another momentous change happened. Zachary, who had just floated into the right wing, used his pace to break past Marcel Schmelzer, Dortmund's left-back for the day. He then raced along the touchline on the right side of the pitch before cutting towards the box, momentum like a whirlwind.

Mats Hummels, the Borussia Dortmund captain and center-back, soon came forward to mark him. The defender didn't rush in wholesale. Instead, he approached with caution while aligning his body to block Zachary from cutting past him and into the pitch.

Zachary read Hummels' intent within seconds as he sped forward. He didn't try to dribble and cut into the pitch, as that would slow down the attack. He instead drew back his leg and unleashed a curling chip towards the box where álvaro Morata was lurking.

In the box, álvaro Morata reacted instantaneously. He sped forward and raced into the unmarked pocket of space before Sokratis Papastathopoulos, the other Dortmund center-back. The Spaniard then pushed off the ground and headed the ball goalward, intending to score Juventus' second goal on the night.

"BAM!"

The sound of the header smashing against the crossbar reverberated the next moment. álvaro Morata's effort had missed the mark by centimeters, and the ball had just bounced off the bar before rebounding into the box.

Morata witnessed all this and reacted instinctively. He pounced towards the rebounded ball with all the haste he could muster. But unfortunately for him, he saw Sokratis Papastathopoulos, the Dortmund center-back, clear it away from the box before he could cover half the distance.

In the meantime, the just-cleared ball soared into the air with a whooshing sound before descending into the middle third, close to the center circle. Andrea Pirlo, who happened to be close by, pounced towards it. He then rose in the air and battled an overly zealous Ilkay Gündogan before heading the ball back toward Dortmund's box.

Andrea Pirlo went to the ground while clutching his calf after heading the ball. The aerial battle against Ilkay Gündogan or his poor landing had probably caused him an unexpected injury.

The referee saw all this. But he waved for the game to continue and played an advantage when he saw Zachary collect the ball headed by Andrea Pirlo at the border of the final third.

Zachary, on his part, didn't think twice before advancing the attack. He brought the ball to the ground within an instant before executing a Marseille turn to skip past Henrikh Mkhitaryan, one of the Dortmund midfielders.

Zachary then accelerated to top speed within seconds and approached Dortmund's box while using his SS-graded spatial awareness to keep a handle on what was around him. As he continued running, he saw Tevez making a penetrating dash on the left side of the box. He also caught a glimpse of álvaro Morata, who had just returned from the offside position and was already waiting near the area for an opportunity.

Zachary caught all the details as he ran at Dortmund's defense. The gears in his mind turned, and he exchanged a one-two with Morata before breaking into the area from the right edge of the box.

At that point, the space had opened up, and only the keeper remained between him and the goal. Not wishing to take unnecessary risks, he took one more touch to draw in the keeper before squaring the ball to Carlos Tevez, who was running in sync with him.

The pass left the keeper and the whole defense out of sorts. It also allowed Tevez to receive the ball unmarked close to the goal. He extended his leg and tapped into the back of the empty net to score Juventus' second for the night during the 41st minute.

The score was then 2:1 in favor of Juventus. But the Old Lady players, including Tevez, the goal scorer, didn't head to the sidelines to celebrate the goal. Instead, they all rushed towards the center circle, where Andrea Pirlo was still painfully clutching his calf as if injured.

On cue, the Juventus medics all rushed on the pitch, hoping to provide first aid and get the Maestro back into the game. But their expressions soon turned somber as they realized Pirlo's injury wasn't light. They wasted no time signaling Coach Max Allegri, who started preparing for an appropriate substitution.

A few more minutes passed, and the medics finally helped Andrea Pirlo off the pitch. Their initial assessment was that he had sprained the calf muscle of his right leg. However, they had to do more tests to determine the extent of the damage and how fast he could recover.

Roberto Pereyra immediately came on for the injured Pirlo. The game continued immediately after, with the Juventus players playing more defensively. They all fell back and started weathering the attacks from Dortmund, intending to guard and maintain their 2:1 lead up to halftime.

However, all that changed when a failed attack from Dortmund presented Zachary with the perfect opportunity to counterattack during the 45th minute. He collected a loose pass from one of the Dortmund players before twisting and turning to create some space he could utilize. Then, without wasting a second, he looked up and unleashed a racking pass toward the other side of the pitch with the outside of his boot.

His ingenious pass immediately removed the Dortmund midfield and defense from the equation. It flew through the air unimpeded before landing in front of Carlos Tevez, who had long initiated a daring run towards the other side of the pitch.

The counterattack was on, and Carlos Tevez timed his run perfectly without being offside. He was like the wind as he headed the ball forward and past Mats Hummels, the Dortmund center-back. Without slowing down, he continued running while driving the ball onwards with his head.

He eventually brought the ball to the ground after leaving Mats Hummels in the dust. He sprinted forward and then rounded the keeper, who had come out of goal to meet him before sending a shot into the back of the empty net to score Juventus 3rd goal on the night during the 45th minute.

The score was then 3:1 in favor of Juventus, the highlight being that Carlos Tevez had scored all three goals. The Argentine couldn't hide his happiness after finally completing the hat trick. He yelled at the top of his voice while running towards the sidelines to celebrate.

Zachary was also in a good mood, as he had provided all the assists that resulted in all three goals. He was even more delighted when he joined Tevez and his other teammates to celebrate on one side of the pitch. He also couldn't suppress the joy of being part of a winning team.

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