THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME

Chapter 573 Second Leg of the UEFA Champions League Quarter-Final

Wednesday, April 22nd, 2015

Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, Madrid, Spain.

Time: 7:30 PM.

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Juventus' team bus snaked through the route crowded with yelling supporters and arrived at the famous Bernabéu Stadium. It parked within the designated area after the gates, and the doors opened amid thunderous applause.

The players and coaches started alighting from the vehicle, causing a commotion. Cheers hit a thunderous crescendo, and cameras flashed at the speed of bullets fired from a machine gun as the excited supporters and journalists tried to take photographs of the famous team from Turin.

"This is surprising. We have a lot of fans here," Zachary, who was among the last players to exit the bus, exclaimed. He could see many people sporting Juventus' stripped black and white jerseys around the route leading further into the stadium gates. They were all shouting and holding their smartphones up to take photographs of the players.

"A few of these fans are Italians living in Madrid," Patrice Evra, who was walking beside him, remarked. "However, most others are our supporters from Turin who have traveled all the way here to support us. They would obviously not miss tonight's crucial match, which will determine whether or not we qualify for the UEFA Champions League semi-final."

"It's great that they are here," Zachary said. "Otherwise, we might have been overwhelmed by all these Real Madrid fans crowding around the place." 𝒃𝙚𝒅𝒏𝙤𝙫𝒆𝒍．𝙘𝒐𝙢

"True!" Evra smiled and walked towards the stairs leading further into the stadium.

Zachary waved to some of the fans, who were continuously yelling his name, and continued following his teammates and coaches. He passed through a wide entrance and left the chaos behind before eventually entering the tunnel to the dressing room.

His ears soon picked up the thunderous cheers of those fans who had already entered the stadium. His blood boiled with a blend of both excitement and anxiety as he traversed the tunnel.

It would be the first time he would play a match against Real Madrid in their world-famous home ground of Santiago Bernabéu. Everything around, including the opposing fans and the atmosphere within the place, was a bit alien and overwhelming. He couldn't stop his heart from racing in anticipation of the action about to commence.

After walking for a few minutes, the Juventus players arrived in the visitor's dressing room of the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. Everything was ready and prepared. Juventus' all-blue jerseys for that day had already been neatly folded and placed on the benches around the room. The only thing remaining was for the players to put them on before heading to the pitch for the match.

However, that was for minutes later, as the players had to undergo the mandatory and necessary pre-match warm-up before focusing on anything else.

The Juventus players were as professional as ever on that front. Without even waiting for the instructions from their coaches, they quickly started on their pre-match routines. They were almost in autopilot mode as they went through the dynamic warm-ups before returning to the dressing room and donning their all-blue jerseys for the match.

At that point, Coach Max Allegri took center stage and gave his pre-match pep talk. He didn't delve into much of the tactics since he had explained the game plan only hours prior. Instead, he talked about the need for teamwork, fighting spirit, courage, hard work, and brilliant decision-making on the field of play before sending his players to the pitch for the game.

It was already 8:35 PM by then. There were only ten minutes remaining before the scheduled kick-off time for the second leg of the UEFA Champions League quarter-final between Juventus and Real Madrid.

The fans of both teams had already taken up all the seats in the stadium. They sang and cheered at the top of their voices as the players walked onto the pitch and lined up in front of the tunnel. Their voices caused the atmosphere to become super-charged as the time for kick-off slowly approached.

Zachary took it in all as he went through the pre-match routines. He allowed the tension to build up within him as he went through the singing of the Champions League anthem.

Yes, he was a bit nervous. But he was likewise fit and in top shape. He had also received special instructions from his head coach that allowed him to remain confident. What remained was for him to do his best and utilize all his skills to execute his part of Juventus' game plan after the game commenced.

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The referee blew the whistle on time, and the game kicked off.

The Real Madrid fans, who understood that their men needed to overturn a 3:1 deficit from the first leg, immediately went all out to support their team. Their voices were loud enough to smother any other noise in the stadium. Even the match commentator couldn't get his commentary through the bluster.

Coach Allegri took in all the cheers calmly and focused on the game. But a few minutes later, he couldn't help but frown when he noticed Real Madrid dominating the early stages. The opponents had even conquered the midfield and were already dictating the tempo.

"Our players are lacking sharpness," he said to Maurizio Trombetta, his assistant. "They are allowing Real Madrid a lot of freedom on the ball."

"Indeed," Maurizio Trombetta replied. "Pirlo, Vidal, Marchisio, and even Zachary all seem out of sorts. They are always a second late while closing down the Real Madrid midfielders."

Coach Max Allegri nodded and continued watching the game. He had already noticed that Carlo Ancelotti had gone with a 4-3-3 attacking formation. The Italian tactician had played Isco, James Rodríguez, and Toni Kroos in a triangular-shaped midfield. Those three were brilliant. They were already causing Juventus many problems during the opening ten minutes.

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In defense, Carlo Ancelotti had gone with four defenders, including Marcelo, Sergio Ramos, Varane, and Daniel Carvajal. These four were quite solid at the back. They had sealed the door shut and stopped Juventus from playing forward balls.

Lastly, Christiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, and Gareth Bale were on the attack to complete Real Madrid's 4-3-3 attacking formation. Each of the three had already shown sparks of brilliance in the opening ten minutes. And if the Juventus players remained careless, they could suffer their wrath at any moment.

"The situation doesn't look good," Maurizio Trombetta, the assistant coach, said from the side. "Should we make a few changes to our plans?"

"No." Max Allegri shook his head. "It's still too early. Let's give the boys some time to settle into the game."

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In the meantime, twelve minutes went by silently as the game continued. The Madrid fans didn't lose hope, though. They continued cheering on their team, hoping for a miracle. They used loud voices to encourage their players to give their all to get an opening goal.

Their voices seemed to achieve a positive effect within less than a quarter of an hour. The Madrid players responded to the raucous crowd by flying out of the traps and launching endless attacks against Juventus' defense.

The reigning champions then built up on the momentum. They set a blistering early tempo and overpowered Juventus in all areas of the field. Their passes connected with a clockwork rhythm as they advanced through the ranks. Soon enough, they started creating chances at the goal, with Gareth Bale eventually coming close to scoring during the 16th minute.

This all started with a well-time through-pass from Toni Kroos that released the Welshman, allowing him to blast forward like a Tsunami. Gareth Bale then used his pace to fly past Patrice Evra before breaking into the box and shooting from a tight angle.

Fortunately for Juventus, Buffon was on form again. He reacted by punching the ball out of play for a corner kick. And with that, he saved Juventus from conceding the opening goal on the night during the 16th minute.

All the Real Madrid players, including the central defenders - Sergio Ramos and Varane, came forward and crowded into the box. They were obviously looking for a chance to overturn the deficit from the first leg. The corner kick was such an opportunity they had been waiting for.

*FWEEEEEEE*

The referee blew the whistle, and Isco took action. The Real Madrid midfielder sent a brilliant cross into the crowded box from the corner spot.

The incoming ball caused chaos to descend into the area before the goal. Players of opposing teams were shoving and pulling each other. They all fought with their all, hoping to gain aerial superiority before meeting the fast-approaching corner ball.

Fortunately for Juventus, it was Giorgio Chiellini who came out on top. The untiring Juventus center-back towered over James Rodriguez and a few surrounding players before clearing the danger. He successfully headed the ball towards the left side of the pitch and saved his team from another precarious situation.

*FWEEEEEEE*

Just as the Juventus players, coaches, and fans began to relax, the whistle sounded. All eyes and cameras turned towards the referee, who was already pointing at the penalty spot. Moreover, the official didn't stop at that. But he also showed a yellow card to Giorgio Chiellini, who clearly couldn't make sense of what was transpiring.

What happened?

Zachary took it in all with a dazed expression. A moment ago, his team had successfully defended a corner and were about to launch their counterattack. But within seconds, everything had gone upside down, and they conceded a penalty.

It wasn't good news for Juventus. It was the worst situation possible in a second-leg game of the UEFA Champions League quarter-final, especially since Real Madrid could capitalize on the penalty to reduce the 3:1 aggregate score difference to only one goal.