THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME
Stiff Moment

Zachary felt anxiety flooding into his system as he watched Lars run lethargic off the field. His heart was racing like trying to break away when he saw Timo Werner stepping forward to take the penalty. The striker has always been clinical in his previous life. It is very unlikely that he will miss the penalty kick.

As he silently watched the process, he felt a bead of sweat dripping down his brows. Throat's thickened. He could not complain or argue with the referee over the decision, even though he had a strong argument.

He believed that handball was a ball-to-hand event, but there was nothing he could do. The referee pointed to the penalty spot. He can only hope Kendrick will do wonders and stop the penalty.

Zachary was never a religious man. But at that moment, he recited a prayer in his heart to the Almighty (if any) to help the NF Academy survive the punishment.

He hopes his team will still go through— win the final despite losing one player after the red card. He wants victory. He needs Juju points.

He knows better than to try to give Kendrick, the goalkeeper, any advice on the approach to taking a penalty. That would confuse him. He even moved away from the group of players clustered in front of NF Academy's eighteen-yard box, choosing to stay close to the middle of the field instead. At that time, he had to trust his goalkeeper. It was the only thing he could do.

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On the sidelines of the goalposts, Kendrick skipped— along his line. He waited for Timo Werner, VfB Stuttgart's top scorer, to take a penalty.

He did not forget to look at the striker. Penalty taking is always a clash of wills. However, Timo ignored his antics, choosing to glance at the referee instead.

If Kendrick had to be honest with himself, he would admit that he was a bit anxious. NF Academy will play with one player in the rest of the game. Judging by the way VfB Stuttgart played from the start of the second half, they would have increased their chances of winning significantly if they had converted a penalty. Kendrick was determined to stop that from happening.

So, he held back a little anxiety and focused on the ball instead.

Zachary and his brother Paul— have done a lot of good at the NF Academy by scoring two goals. It's his turn to do his part and save them from conceding. That is his responsibility as a goalkeeper.

*FREEEE*

The referee blew the whistle, gesturing for Timo Werner to take the penalty.

At that point, Kendrick focused all his attention on the attacker, trying to gauge the direction the ball would take from his kicking posture.

His knees were slightly bent forward to give himself more strength as he made the rescue. He has made sure to stretch his hands wide in an attempt to make himself look 'bigger' in the net.

Supporters were silent, impatiently waiting for the penalty kick.

Timo Werner finally started his short run to the ball. Without giving Kendrick much time to negotiate, he shuffled the ball with the top of his right boots.

Kendrick did not manage to gauge in which direction the ball was heading from Timo's kicking posture. So, he made the quick decision to leave with his instincts.

As soon as Timo Werner's boots touched the ball, Kendrick jumped to his left, fully committed to diving. He was hoping the ball would come his way.

The goddess of fortune seemed to like NF Academy that day. Kendrick smiled in the air as he saw the ball coming straight at him. He won the bet, and all that was left was to push the ball out of the field.

However, it had walked so fast that it reached him before he could push his hand. It hit his folded arm and bounced to the left side of the eighteen-yard box.

**** ****

Zachary almost started celebrating after Kendrick made a spectacular save. However, he stopped himself when he saw the ball had bounced back onto the field of play.

The danger has not passed.

Felix Lohkemper, another VfB Stuttgart attacker, rushed in for a rebound and shuffled the ball as he slid to the ground.

Kendrick got up for the chance once again. With flamboyant acrobatics, the goalkeeper rose from the ground—and quickly blocked the shot.

Kasongo pounced on the resulting loose ball and kicked it out of the box. His only intention was to clear it to a safe place without bothering to control its direction. As a result, it was almost straight to the edge of the box, where many VfB Stuttgart players were waiting.

Zachary frowned when he saw Kimmich welcome the ball around the arch of the box and fired back— into the net.

He already regrets staying away from the box to defend against penalties. To his delight, NF Academy survived once again.

Because the area before the penalty box was crowded with players, some pounced on it and ended up fumbling around.

And once again, NF Academy was lucky.

Zachary went straight into action when he saw Paul Otterson finally get the ball out of the box. The Swede kicked him hard enough to make him float high in the air— towards the edge of the field.

NF Academy finally survived the penalty.

Most players are under the impression that the ball is out of play. They thought it would result in a throw-in. That would easily give them a much-needed break to sort out their formation after the red card. They even started doing Kendrick's high-five to congratulate him for saving the penalty.

But not everyone in the NF Academy squad has the same mindset.

Zachary had already started running when Paul Otterson kicked the ball out of the box. With his A+ spatial awareness, he only took a moment to judge that the ball would bounce on the playing field before passing the touchline.

He was determined to do it before it happened. So, he ran across the field, his legs moving like a boxer's fist working on a mini punching bag.

He did not forget to track the trajectory of the ball high above him as he raced to the left wing, like a cheetah running in the wild.

His efforts bore fruit.

He managed to get the ball right inside the half of NF Academy because the ball was bouncing, just inches from the edge of the field. It almost escaped him, but he slid in to control it with his legs outstretched.

Without wasting any time, he got up from the ground and turned around quickly to face the playing field. He moved quickly, intending to make full use of his freedom before the VfB Stuttgart players shut him down.

But he was surprised to find Timo Baumgartl, the VfB Stuttgart centre-back, running towards him. Number-5 is fast and will hit it in just a few seconds.

Even so, he did not panic. He loosened his position and flicked the ball to the left. He made it seem as if he intended to run with the ball along the sidelines.

And as he had expected, the VfB Stuttgart centre-back bought his trick. He stretched out a leg, trying to tackle the ball from Zachary's foot at the time.

Zachary smiled as he hooked the ball with his left boot, pulling it back to himself. Without a pause, he then pushed it between the legs of the centre-back. He moves as smoothly as a fish that wades the sea.

Number-5 came down and remained seated on the ground, wondering what was happening.

Zachary did not relax in the slightest after passing the defender. He's even running wild.

The counterattack is underway.

At the time, Zachary could have passed to either Paul Otterson or Kasongo, who joined the counter as soon as they saw him collect the ball on the left wing. However, he felt like he was possessed by something that urged him to keep moving.

He sped up for a while, slowed down a bit, and then wildly ran past a few of Stuttgart's VfB players who managed to get back to defend against his lightning-fast attack.

VfB Stuttgart's goal is getting closer. Zachary kept running, almost out of breath. His lungs screamed as he ran past the last defender and faced the goalkeeper.

As usual, he maintained his composure. He dug his foot under the ball and flicked it over the defenseless goalkeeper.

3:0.

NF Academy managed to enlarge the lead in the 87th minute, right after escaping a penalty.

Detractors were surprised.

The entire stadium exploded into a storm of cheers as Zachary found more stamina to run into the technical area to celebrate.

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