The Greatest of All Time

Chapter 62 - Group Results And New Skills

"JFC Riga managed to hold the Genoa Youth team to a 1:1 draw," Paul Otterson said excitedly.

'A draw against Genoa! How did the Riga team manage that?.' Zachary thought, surprised. He'd watched the match between BK Frem and Genoa and concluded that the Italian team was by far the most powerful adversary in their group. He wondered how a JFC Riga—a team that lost against the NF academy by four goals had managed to pull off a draw. 'Doesn't that mean...?'

"Do you know what this means?" Paul continued, interrupting Zachary's train of thought. "We've already qualified for the quarter-finals." He banged the table excitedly, attracting a few frowns from the rest of the diners in the restaurant.

Excited chatters rang around the table. Zachary and his teammates were seated around the long dining tables in the Monika Centrum Hotel's restaurant, waiting—as the uniformed waiters continued to bring in trays with dinner from the kitchen.

Words could be challenging to make out in the deep buzz of the restaurant. However, Zachary could hear his teammates chattering about which team they would face in the quarter-finals.

They were still in a cheery mood since they'd won the match against BK Frem by a six-goal margin earlier that day. The news about Genoa's draw with JFC Riga was like icing on the cake, fanning their euphoria even further. So, they bumped fists together, hugged each other like little girls, celebrating Genoa's draw.

Zachary smiled softly, his mood lifting. He'd been worried about the next game. He had already prepared to play his best against Genoa—to guarantee NF academy's qualification for the quarter-finals. Yet, Genoa had gone ahead and done him a favor. He felt waves of excitement emanating from his psyche, like a new spring bud that grows into the vibrant flower so naturally, one moment at a time. He was in a state of bliss.

"What about the group B results?" Zachary inquired, eyeing his flatmate. He'd taken a nap right after lunch and then trained in the system simulator—until dinner time. He hadn't gotten the chance to hear any news about the other group matches in the Riga tournament.

Zachary's table once again descended into silence as Paul Otterson cleared his throat. "The results of Group B are more surprising," Paul intoned, smiling mysteriously. "Zenit is leading the group after winning 3:2 against Tottenham on Monday, then going on to defeat AIK Stockholm, 2:1 this afternoon."

Paul paused as a waiter walked over, placing a tray of food before him: yummy smoked fish with rye bread, crescent-shaped Latvian pastries, and vegetables. The sight and aroma of the dish were enough to make Zachary hungrier than he already was. He wished the waiters would hurry up and bring his meal as well.

"Tottenham also managed to win the game against Atalanta today by a score of 4:2," Paul continued, picking up a knife and a fork. "Zenit is leading their group by six points, followed by Tottenham at three points. AIK and Atalanta trail with one point each. Their group seems really tough." He said, cutting off a piece of his fish and placing it in his mouth. The rest of the table mates gulped since their food hadn't arrived yet.

"We'll have to face one of the two teams that emerge from that group," Kasongo chipped in. "I wonder who will be first. Tottenham or Zenit?"

"I wouldn't worry about Tottenham," Kendrick said after sipping on his juice. "My friends, playing for AIK, have already informed me that Tottenham's squad isn't in the best shape. On the other hand, it would be better if-we-could avoid facing the Zenit Youth team in the quarter-finals by all means. They have a very tight defense and are really good at scoring from corners."

"Exactly," Paul cut in after swallowing a mouthful of food. "We should try our best to come first in our group. We'll only have a much easier time if we play against another team from that group. Zenit has managed to beat both Tottenham and AIK Stockholm so far."