Chapter 80: A Game of Thrills

In the technical area, Coach Johansen watched the ball flashing towards the goal. It rose and dipped at an incredible speed, going on to veer past VfB Stuttgart's defense and goalkeeper.

Zachary had spotted Odysseas Vlachodimos, VfB Stuttgart's goalkeeper, off his line. So, he had gone for a first-time shot from thirty-five yards, using the laced part of the boot.

The keeper was helpless and beaten.

The fans in the stands had gone quiet, watching Zachary's long-range effort head towards the goal.

Zachary, still at the edge of the box, raised his arms to start celebrating, expecting his attempt to find its way to the back of the net.

However—

"BAM"

"Goddamn it!" Coach Johansen couldn't help but curse loudly, punching the air before him, as he watched the ball smash off the crossbar and bounce back into the pitch.

Nonetheless, he didn't look away from the field of play since he'd noticed both Zachary and Örjan chasing after the loose ball in VfB Stuttgart's box. He hoped they'd get there first and give the NF Academy an early two-goal advantage. With the way the VfB Stuttgart players were playing, NF Academy needed a cushion if they wished to hold on to their lead and win the final.

"Yes," he heard Coach Bjørn Peters, celebrating from beside him as Örjan, NF Academy's center-forward, got to the ball first—before the VfB Stuttgart center-backs. With acrobatic flamboyance, he planted a diving header towards the bottom left corner.

However, the VfB Stuttgart goalkeeper was alert that time around. He dived sideways and pushed the ball with his fingertips away from his goal. He had denied NF Academy the chance to extend their lead.

The referee blew his whistle and pointed towards the corner flag.

"Damn," Coach Bjørn cursed from beside him. "That's a gone opportunity. We missed the chance to extend our advantage."

Coach Johansen nodded without saying anything. Although he could relate to his assistant's mood, he still hoped his team would get something out of the corner kick.

"Öyvind," he yelled at the top of his voice. "Go ahead and take the corner," he added when the right-back faced towards the technical area. He didn't forget to signal to Öyvind and the rest of his players, instructing them on which corner-kick taking routine would be the best at that moment.

A few seconds later, he nodded in satisfaction as he watched six of his tallest players gather at the edge of the box. They intended to make runs towards different areas to confuse the VfB Stuttgart defenders. That would vastly increase their chances of scoring. In the meantime, Magnus, the tall defensive midfielder, got close to the keeper, waiting to pounce on the loose ball that might come his way.

The only tall NF Academy player that wasn't in that box was Zachary. He stood right outside the eighteen, waiting for the rebound.

Coach Johansen was satisfied with the positioning of his players for the corner kick. It was up to Öyvind to deliver a good corner ball so that NF Academy could extend their lead before it was too late. The earlier they improved their advantage, the better their chances at victory.

Öyvind, NF Academy's right-back, didn't disappoint. He whipped the ball in a circular arc—into the rowdy group of players packed within the box.

There was some pushing and shoving within the box as the ball dropped towards the far post. However, Robin Jatta, NF Academy's left-back, timed his run superbly, outwitting his mark to connect with the resulting corner ball. He showed his brilliance in the air and managed to plant a header towards the goal, uncontested.

Coach Johansen raised his arms, anticipating a goal.

However, Odysseas Vlachodimos, VfB Stuttgart's goalkeeper, pulled off an excellent save to deny Robin the chance of fixing his name on the score sheet. He dived superbly to stop the ball headed towards the bottom right corner, sending it back into the pitch.

Timo Baumgartl, VfB Stuttgart's center-back, got to it first and cleared it towards the left-wing where Joshua Kimmich was waiting.

Joshua Kimmich brought the ball under control with fluid motion like a Maestro. Without even taking a second touch, he unleashed a lofted pass across the touchline—towards the centerline where Timo Werner was lurking.

Joshua Kimmich, VfB Stuttgart's number-6, had just started a deadly counter right after the corner kick. All the NF Academy players seemed to be caught unawares as the lightning-fast switch from defense to attack had taken only a single touch to initiate.

Timo Werner, VfB Stuttgart's number-11, chested the ball down in the left-wing—close to the touchline before bolting off into NF Academy's half.

The VfB Stuttgart forward was very fast, and NF Academy seemed vulnerable. Coach Johansen was about to start yelling at Kasongo to close down Timo but stopped suddenly. He'd noticed that Zachary was already chasing down the speedy winger.

Coach Johansen watched Zachary use his incredible pace to catch up to Timo Werner as he cut into the pitch, leaving the flanks. Without any suspense, Zachary slid in and shoved the ball away from Timo's feet, sending him tumbling to the ground.

Coach Johansen cast a nervous glance towards the linesman standing close to the two players on the left flank. However, the match official kept his flag down, putting him at ease. He let out a breath of pent-up air when he realized that Zachary's tackle hadn't resulted in a foul.

"Zachary must have started chasing down Timo Werner even before Kimmich released the ball," Coach Bjørn observed from beside him. "It's like he can predict where the opponents will play the ball even before they initiate the attack. Doesn't this mean that he always has a complete visual on everyone on the pitch?"

"Maybe," Coach Johansen replied perfunctorily since all his focus was still on the match. Zachary had just picked up the loose ball and passed it back to Kendrick, NF Academy's goalkeeper.

However, the danger wasn't yet over. Timo Werner, who'd just picked himself from the ground, closed him down immediately.

Kendrick could only kick the ball high towards the midfield since there were not many NF Academy players to pass to, close to the box.

However, in so doing, NF Academy lost possession once more. What followed was a period of VfB Stuttgart dominancy. The German side intensified its attacks, passing the ball around, patiently awaiting an opportunity.

Joshua Kimmich continued dictating the tempo in midfield as the control tower. Zachary had tried to mark and dispossess him on many occasions but failed. The number-6 always played it safe, opting to pass the ball before Zachary could get to him. He mostly played two touches on the ball before unleashing through passes towards the VfB Stuttgart forwards. His style was efficient. It helped VfB Stuttgart dominate possession and build up a lot of chances in the following minutes.

Both Timo Werner and Felix Lohkemper, the VfB Stuttgart forwards on the flanks, came close to scoring after receiving defense-splitting passes from him in the 26th and 30th minutes. However, Kendrick had risen to the occasion and produced superb saves. Coach Johansen was pleased with his performance.

The NF Academy defenders were also playing at their best. They managed to block many of the goal attempts made by VfB Stuttgart's attackers.

However, Coach Johansen was still dissatisfied with the score. He knew well how dangerous VfB Stuttgart could be as the match progressed since he'd watched the German side's previous two games.

The only way he could increase his team's chances of winning against the much stronger side was by extending his lead before half-time. So, he decided to call on his most-effective player once again.

When the ball went out of play for a throw-in, he called Zachary to the touchline.

"Try to stay around Kimmich for the rest of the first half," he intoned, patting Zachary on the back after he'd arrived close to the technical area. "I'm sure you've noticed that a lot of action happens around him. If you keep close to him, you should be able to get an opportunity for a counter-attack if he makes a mistake."

"That's is if he ever makes a mistake," Zachary replied, smiling wryly. "But, I'll try to close him down as soon as possible for the rest of the first half," he added before running back into the pitch.

The game restarted, and Zachary followed his instructions to the letter. He moved upfront and stayed close to the VfB Stuttgart number-6, making him uncomfortable in the process. Whenever Kimmich would receive the ball, Zachary would pounce on him instantly without giving him any time or breathing space.

Kimmich managed to keep his composure most of the time. He continued playing quick passes to his teammates without allowing Zachary any chance to close him down.

But Zachary remained patient, waiting around him for an opportunity. And surprisingly, his efforts were rewarded in the 43rd minute.

Sinan Gümüs, one of the midfielders, played a loose pass to Kimmich deep in VfB Stuttgart's half when Zachary was nearby. It was one of those unexpected miskicks that no one could have expected from a player of his caliber. All the players around him, including his teammates, were caught off-guard by his rookie mistake.

However, Zachary managed to pounce on the blind pass, intercepting it before any other player could get to it. He then went on a solo run, weaving past Kimmich and Philipp Förster. He swept through the midfield so fast that he was bearing down on the VfB Stuttgart center-backs in no time.

The two VfB Stuttgart center-backs seemed to have been alerted on how to handle Zachary's dribbling. They stood their ground before the box, blocking his path without trying to make any wild lunges at the ball.

Zachary, though, did not try to dribble past them. He did the unexpected instead. He whipped the ball with the inside of his left boot from outside of the eighteen-yard box.

Coach Johansen watched with nervous anticipation as the ball curled around the two defenders and spun past the goalkeeper—into the top left corner. Odysseas Vlachodimos, the VfB Stuttgart number-1, could only turn around and watch the ball spinning in the back of the net.

2:0.

The NF Academy had defied all odds to extend their lead to two goals just before half time. Coach Johansen could not help but celebrate like a maniac, waving his arms around and running back and forth within the technical area.

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