The Greatest of all Time

Chapter 711 Against Crvena Zvezda

Chapter 711  Against Crvena Zvezda

The noon sun was up in the sky as Zachary and his Liverpool teammates gathered for lunch at Melwood on Wednesday afternoon, 24th October 2018.

It was one of those brisk days when the bite of autumn gave way, hinting at the arrival of winter, though none of the players would be thinking about that. Their minds were locked onto the task ahead: the UEFA Champions League group stage clash against Crvena Zvezda, the Serbian champions.

And what about the venue? Anfield, their fortress.

Zachary had been rested for Liverpool's gritty 1-0 win over Huddersfield just days earlier, so as he made his last-minute preparations for the game now, he was feeling energetic. The rest had done him well; his body felt refreshed and ready.

Tonight, he was slated to make a return to the lineup, and none other than in the Champions League—under the bright lights of Anfield, where the Kop would be in full voice. Just the sort of occasion which makes any footballer's heart race, and Zachary was no different.

Jürgen Klopp had left nothing to chance. The whole of Monday and Tuesday had been about drumming the tactics into the squad - what everyone was required to do when they faced Crvena Zvezda.

Zachary was taken aback by Klopp's attention to minute details, even when preparing for matches against noticeably weaker sides. The energy of the German coach was infective, and his tactical mind was razor-sharp as it always was while making the preparations for the game.

Tonight, Klopp wanted to make a statement. To overwhelm Crvena Zvezda and never give them a window for error, he wanted Liverpool to dominate from the first whistle.

The final tactical meeting at Melwood was after lunch on the Wednesday, around two in the afternoon. That was when Klopp stood at the front of the room, pulling it all together once more, strongly impassioned and pacing up and down.

"Listen guys, we're at home, and we have to make Anfield a nightmare for them," Klopp said, hands working for emphasis. "I want the pressing, I want intensity, and I want it from minute one. We don't give them time to breathe, not even for a second.

His voice rose, and players huddled up, now fully enthralled by his enthusiasm and vigor.

"Zachary, you and Gini will control the midfield, but I want you pressing high as soon as we lose the ball. They're going to look for long balls and try to bypass the press. Don't give them that chance. Force them into mistakes, win it back quick and high up the pitch, and we'll punish them."

Zachary nodded, his focus never shifting. Klopp had been right, had foreseen it. Crvena Zvezda would more than likely sit deep and look to frustrate Liverpool, hoping to catch them on the break or with set-pieces.

But at Anfield, Liverpool was an altogether different monster. With people like Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, and Roberto Firmino in attack, with Zachary pulling the strings in midfield, they had every component of firepower to simply blow away the Serbians. And blow them away, they did hope to do!

Finally, at the end of the meeting, Klopp named the line-up, and just as expected, Zachary was to start alongside Georginio Wijnaldum in midfield, while Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, and Roberto Firmino were leading the attack.

There was Andrew Robertson, marauding down the left, Trent Alexander-Arnold on the right, and at the back marshaling things was Virgil van Dijk. The only key men missing considering whom people expect to feature were the injured Jordan Henderson and James Milner, rested.

Klopp concluded the pep talk with a final flourish. "This is Anfield, lads. Go out there and make them feel it."

After the meeting, Zachary and co had spent the afternoon lolling about Melwood, resting their legs for that night's battle. Some worked through video analysis, while others still enjoyed light-hearted banter and recovery sessions.

There was a lot of calm before the game; there was a shared understanding that they were preparing towards something big.

The afternoon flashed by sooner than expected, and the team then boarded the bus at around 6:30 PM for their brief journey to Anfield. The mood in the bus was as focused as before any other match and full of that quiet confidence which had grown along with Liverpool's good form this season.

They were unbeaten in the Premier League and tonight's match was an opportunity to take command of their Champions League group.

As the bus drew closer to the stadium, it was all very predictable: the signature roar of the Liverpool fans greeted them, with thousands lined up along the streets, waving flags, singing, and creating an atmosphere that made Zachary's heart race. This was what playing for Liverpool meant. The bond between the team and the fans was great.

The players warmed up, did all those things that they commonly did, before the whistle blew for kickoff. There was electricity in the air as Zachary jogged onto the pitch, the chants of the Kop rumbling through the stands.

He snatched a glimpse of his teammates—Salah, Mane, and Firmino—all looking sharp and ready. On the opposite side, players of Crvena Zvezda were getting ready, but tense-looking, knowing what lay in wait for them at Anfield.

By 7:45 PM, the atmosphere was at its crescendo inside Anfield. The Champions League anthem blared across the speakers of the stadium, and as the players lined up, Zachary was already beginning to feel high on adrenaline. This was why he enjoyed playing the game-for nights like this.

The procedure was at a very good pace, and the pregame routines were over in no time. The kick-off whistle blew, and from the first minute itself, it was clear that Liverpool were determined to just do what Klopp had ordered.

The Reds, however, were quick to press high, hunting in packs, forcing Crvena Zvezda deep into their half. Instrumental to this early pressure was Zachary, who pressed relentlessly and won the ball back several times with smart interceptions.

There was pressure that already told by the 10-minute mark. After winning the ball high up the pitch, Georginio Wijnaldum threaded a pass into the path of Mohamed Salah. He broke free off his marker before unleashing a low shot that beat the Serbian goalkeeper.

1-0 Liverpool.

And as the Egyptian Fotballing King celebrated in front of the Kop with his teammates, the stadium erupted.

The goal conceded, Crvena Zvezda looked edgy. But Liverpool didn't let up. The ball seemed attached to the feet of the red shirts, and every time it was hoofed away from the Serbians, it would again be coming right at them.

Zachary had dictated the tempo of play right from midfield by using width to play in those overlapping fullbacks, switching the play inside with pinpoint accuracy. His touch was always exquisite, his vision peerless.

Liverpool found the back of the net again in the 20th minute, making the score 2:0. It was Roberto Firmino this time, after a slick combination play with Sadio Mane, finding the back of the net. The forward slotted coolly into the bottom corner and Crvena Zvezda was left chasing shadows.

The game restarted after the brief celebrations, with Liverpool continuing to dominate as the first half wore on. Crvena Zvezda still had no hold in the tie, and their few attempts at counterattacking were extinguished by the Liverpool backline marshaled by Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez.

But their worst nightmare was yet to come, especially when Zachary produced his moment of magic in the 33rd minute.

It started with Andrew Robertson bombing down the left, as he had much of the night, sending a searching cross into the box. It was only cleared as far as the edge of the area, where Zachary was lurking. With one deft touch, he brought the ball under control and shifted it onto his left foot. By that stage, the Crvena Zvezda defenders were scrambling back to close him down. But it was all too little, too late.

Zachary struck a clean ball from 20 yards out, curling to the top-right corner. The goalkeeper leaped, but he had no chance as the ball sailed past him into the back of the net.

Goal! Zachary Bemba!

The Kop erupted, chanting his name as he wheeled away in celebration, his arms outstretched. His teammates swarmed around him congratulating him, while the entire stadium shook to its foundations with the sound of 50,000 fans roaring as one.

Liverpool 3-0.

By halftime, the game was effectively over. Liverpool had crushed any resistance Crvena Zvezda might have had, and Zachary had stamped his authority on the match with a goal that would be replayed for days to come.

The second half was then pretty much carried on in the same vain. Liverpool stayed on top of things, setting the tempo and keeping Crvena Zvezda camped around their own box for long periods.

Klopp then made a couple of substitutions, introducing Daniel Sturridge and Fabinho to bring fresh legs into the action, but the momentum was still with the home team.

In the 51st minute, Salah doubled his count for the night, latching onto a pass from Trent Alexander-Arnold and finishing with his trademark precision. 4-0 Liverpool.

The fifth then came in the 76th minute, and this was via Sadio Mane, capping off a dominant, team-performance-with-a-composed-finish type of goal after being at the end of a flowing move which involved Zachary stringing the midfield together.

By the end of the match, it was 5-0, a scoreline that attested to Liverpool once again stamping their presence in the Champions League.