Zachary darted across the pitch like a bullet, leaving both opponents and teammates in the dust. He could even feel the chilly autumn breeze whipping across his face as he ran like mad and tried to make the best of the counterattacking opportunity. However, he couldn't help but slow down a moment later.
Two Red Bull Salzburg players had managed to catch up to him and bar his path before he could carry on with the counterattack. So, he couldn't just continue racing carelessly with the ball towards the other side.
Lightning-fast thoughts swirled through Zachary's mind as he took the briefest of moments to assess the two opponents that had just cornered him. Within an instant, he managed to recall all the information about them. The first player was named Christian Schwegler, Red Bull Salzburg's right-back known for his long throw-ins, while the other was Christoph Leitgeb, a solid and creative right midfielder.
The two players were not impatient as they confronted him. They just blocked his path towards their goal without trying to tackle the ball from his feet. Moreover, they had angled their bodies in such a way to force him towards the left flank. They seemed intent on just delaying him while waiting for their teammates to array themselves back into a proper defensive shape.
"This can't go on," Zachary decided.
Everything was hanging on a thread since the other Red Bull Salzburg players were almost catching up. If he couldn't beat the two defenders blocking his path within a maximum of five seconds, he would have wasted the opportunity for sure.
Zachary strained his mind to the extreme limit, trying to catch on to that slim chance to make the best of the situation. Possible running routes towards goal, standing gaits of opponents, the distance between opponent and ball, and many more factors ran through his mind, swirling about like waves of a raging Tsunami. The lightning-fast thoughts stirred up his mind until he couldn't think of anything else anymore.
His mind was a complete blank and in a state of stillness a moment later. Then, it all happened at once, and a wondrous and familiar feeling bloomed in the deep confines of his mind. Within an instant, a lot of information flooded into his brain, giving him a clear picture of everything around him.
At long last, he'd managed to enter the zone once again.
Zachary's heart skipped a bit when he noticed that he had a complete grasp of each and every bodily movement of the two opponents cornering him. He could see them clearly. Be it facial expressions or even the peculiarity of their strides and gaits — he managed to capture them all in anything but an instant. It was as if he had developed a superior awareness for any small thing in the space around him. Moreover, it seemed his mind was working better than usual when he was in that uncanny state. He'd even deduced the best way to open up the quickest route towards goal as a result.
A soft smile outlined Zachary's face as he started flicking the ball from his left to right foot the very next instant. The difficulties that had puzzled his mind a moment ago seemed to have disappeared almost instantaneously right after he'd entered the zone. It was as if the world was in slow motion.
However, he understood that it wasn't the right time to explore the feeling of being in the zone. Four seconds had already elapsed since he started his face off against the two opponents. If he continued dragging his feet, he would have to face off against many more opponents — a situation that could snuff out Rosenborg's chance of executing a successful counterattack.
Thus, without any more dilly-dallying, he got into action right away. He first tapped the ball slightly using the outer toe area of his right foot without letting it move far away from him. Without a pause, he caught the ball before dragging it back towards himself to complete a basic Elastico dribble. And just as he'd expected, one of the players barring his path moved forward slightly and stretched out a boot to tackle the ball.
Zachary felt like he'd unloaded a weight off his shoulders when he noticed that the player had taken his bait. Without losing a second, he moved like a thunderclap.
He feigned going left before halting abruptly and then moving right. Like a cheetah in the wild, he accelerated almost instantaneously, squeezing through the gap in-between the two players. Before the two opponents could adapt, he was already a couple of meters beyond their reach, his strides eating up yards of space like there was no tomorrow.
However, he was not in the clear yet. Another opponent had already caught up to him when he was dealing with the other two. Nonetheless, he didn't panic. He could beat any defender out there while in the zone. His superior awareness granted him the ability to see every movement of the opponent seemingly in slow motion. Through mere observation, he could even predict the actions of the opponents to some extent.
So, when the approaching opponent tried to grab his shirt and foul him, he reacted accordingly. He hinged at the waist and leaned forwardly slightly, barely dodging the grabbing hand of the Red Bull Salzburg player. After that, he didn't look back a single time and continued en route towards the opponent's box like a flash. He'd already left every other player in the dust. At that moment, only the Red Bull Salzburg keeper was remaining between him and the goal.
Zachary, of course, didn't disappoint. With just a couple of deft touches, he skillfully skipped past the keeper, who'd rushed out of his box to meet him. He then buried the ball into the back of the empty net from a tight angle, sending the Red Bull Arena into a state of momentary silence. What a goal!
Red Bull Salzburg 0: Rosenborg Ballklub 2.
Zachary had managed to score Rosenborg's second goal just before the break in the 45th minute. However, he didn't pause his run. Instead, he raced all the way back to Rosenborg's box like the wind and then celebrated with Daniel ?rlund, the goalkeeper.
Cheers, yells, and boos were like thunder upon the ears as the match progressed. The atmosphere in the stands was turbulent since the Red Bull Salzburg fans continued cheering their team like mad even after halftime. It was as if they wanted to help their team score at least a goal by the sheer will of their words. They were really a passionate bunch.
Nevertheless, there was also a pair of odd men out within the assembly of home fans in the Red Bull Arena. They watched the goings-on on the pitch with analytical eyes and didn't partake in the cheering even once. The two of them appeared totally detached from the chaos around them and seemed not to belong in the home fans section. That was because they didn't care about the game's results and were only at the stadium as scouts to assess a single player.
"Emily was right about this one," Edward Atkins, the younger of the two men, said, trying his best to make himself heard over the din in the stadium. His eyes were wide, slender, and sharply outlined with a keen gaze. A spade-shaped goatee, matching well with his raven-black hair, supplied him with an imposing look that made him appear proud.
"True," Mike Brown, his counterpart, replied from beside him. This one was actually a man later on in his years, with a bald head and bits of grey in his facial hair. "Emily really picked up a gem. Stamina, composure, skills, and sharpness with the ball — he has them all. Moreover, he's a dead ball specialist to boot. I can already see him helping us win the Premier League if we can convince him to join us."
"It won't be easy to get his signature," Edward Atkins commented, his eyes never leaving the field of play. "With the way he is playing, I'm sure that a lot of the top teams will be lining up to compete for his services."
"But we have an advantage," Mike Brown, the aged man, chipped in. "We should be among the first teams from the top leagues to notice his monster-level talents. So, we only have to rush in headfast and have a heart-to-heart with him before others take note of his skills. The best would be if Emily could help us."
"You should forget about her," Edward Atkins said, sighing and shaking his head. "Emily has already declared that she won't help us with the client in any way. She has already done enough by informing us about such a player before talking to the other teams. So, let's try not to burden her anymore."
The aged man sighed. "She's just like her father, always putting principles above everything else. She can't even help her home team obtain the services of such a genius! It's truly a pity."
"That's what makes her so good at her job even at such a young age," Edward replied. "Let's first watch the match. We'll discuss afterward."