**Sunday, November 6, 2022

Allianz Stadium, Turin

Approaching Kickoff**

The team bus rolled into the stadium complex under police escort, and the windows vibrated from noise outside while the vehicle moved slowly through streets packed with supporters pressing against barriers on both sides.

Black-and-white shirts dominated everywhere—tens of thousands of Juventus fans creating a sea of striped jerseys that stretched from the main road to the stadium entrance—but scattered through them were pockets of blue and black where Atalanta supporters stood behind metal barriers singing louder than their numbers suggested they should.

Demien glanced out the window once while the bus passed through the crowd, and faces pressed against the glass shouting words he couldn't hear over the engine noise and police sirens, and after two seconds he looked back down and adjusted his headphones while his eyes stayed fixed on his lap.

Away days here always felt heavier.

The bus pulled into the secure entrance beneath the stands and the noise cut off immediately as concrete walls replaced open air, and players began standing and gathering their belongings while the vehicle rolled to a stop in the underground parking area.

Inside the stadium, the stands were steep when glimpsed through access tunnels—rising sharply toward the roof rather than spreading wide—and even empty the space felt different from Bergamo's open bowl.

As the players stepped into the tunnel area for the first time, noise filtered down from above where early arrivals were already in their seats—whistles and boos from one side, applause and chants from the other—and the split created competing walls of sound.

**Commentary Booth**

"Welcome to the Allianz Stadium where Juventus host third-placed Atalanta in what promises to be a fascinating tactical battle," the lead commentator began. "The pressure of playing away here is always significant. Juventus start fast at home, the crowd is hostile, and teams that come here without a clear plan often find themselves overwhelmed."

"Atalanta arrive in excellent form," his colleague added. "Seven wins in their last eight matches. But this is a different test entirely. Juventus' midfield is one of the most compact in Serie A—they suffocate space, force errors, and punish transitions ruthlessly."

-----

**Away Dressing Room**

In the dressing room, players moved through their preparation routines while conversations stayed low, and boots were laced and jerseys pulled on without the nervous energy that sometimes appeared before difficult fixtures.

Gasperini stood near the tactical board without speaking until everyone had settled into their seats, and when the room went quiet he began marking Juventus' formation with quick strokes.

"Shape first," Gasperini said while drawing their 4-3-3. "They press high when you try to build from the back. Their midfield triangle becomes compact when you enter the middle third. They want you to force passes that aren't there so they can win the ball in dangerous areas."

He paused while his marker tapped specific zones on the board.

"Survive the first twenty minutes. Don't chase the game. Don't force moments that don't exist. Patience over urgency. If we stay disciplined and don't lose our heads, the spaces will appear in the second half when their intensity drops."

No names were singled out. No individual instructions were delivered publicly.

Gasperini stepped back from the board and looked around the room once.

"Questions?"

Silence answered him.

"Good. Let's be smart."

-----

**Warm-Up**

When the squad walked out for warm-ups forty-five minutes before kickoff, the noise doubled immediately.

The Juventus end—the Curva Sud behind one goal—whistled everything Atalanta players did while their own squad received roaring approval, and the sound was relentless without breaks.

Demien jogged through his activation routine with Koopmeiners beside him, and neither spoke while they stretched and moved through passing patterns, and overhead the camera panned across the crowd before catching Atalanta fans high up behind the opposite goal where maybe two thousand supporters had made the trip from Bergamo.

Flags waved and voices carried despite being outnumbered, and the camera held on them for three seconds before cutting back to the pitch.

**Commentary**

"You can hear the split in the crowd. Juventus dominating the noise, but Atalanta's traveling support making their presence felt. This won't be a neutral night."

The warm-up concluded after twenty minutes and both teams returned to their dressing rooms.

-----

**Tunnel - Pre-Match**

Inside the tunnel before kickoff, players lined up in their designated positions while noise from the stadium filtered down through concrete corridors—muffled but constant—and the atmosphere pressed down while forty thousand people waited above.

Demien stood in his position with his hands at his sides and his breathing controlled, and the system activated without warning.

Blue text materialized in his peripheral vision.

「PLAYER ANALYSIS ACTIVATED」

The interface expanded and began displaying information on Juventus' midfield three.

**Opponent Analysis:**

**Name:** Manuel Locatelli

**Position:** CM

**Overall Rating:** 82

**Key Stats:** Defensive Awareness 84 | Stamina 83 | Interceptions 82

**Name:** Adrien Rabiot

**Position:** CM

**Overall Rating:** 81

**Key Stats:** Physical 84 | Stamina 82 | Strength 85

**Name:** Fabio Miretti

**Position:** CAM

**Overall Rating:** 76

**Key Stats:** Agility 78 | Passing 79 | Vision 77

The overlay displayed for five seconds before fading completely.

Demien exhaled once and the interface disappeared.

Another window appeared immediately after.

「NEW MATCH MISSION」

「OBJECTIVE: Achieve Match Rating 8.0 or Higher」

「RESTRICTION: No Goals or Assists Required」

「REWARD: 80 MP | 50 TP」

「MISSION ACTIVE」

Demien dismissed the window with a thought.

This wasn't about moments. It was about survival.

The referee signaled and both teams stepped onto the pitch together.

-----

**0' - 8' | Opening Phase**

***Fweeeeeetttttttt!!!!!***

The whistle blew and Juventus kicked off.

Vlahović tapped it backward to Miretti who played it immediately to Locatelli, and the Italian midfielder's first touch took him forward two steps before he passed it square to Rabiot on his left.

Rabiot drove forward while Atalanta's defensive shape—4-2-3-1 with Koopmeiners and De Roon sitting as the double pivot, Demien operating as the ten behind Højlund—began dropping toward their own half, and when Rabiot reached thirty yards from goal his pass went wide to Chiesa on the right wing.

Chiesa's first touch controlled it while Mæhle closed from Atalanta's left-back position, and the Italian winger's pass came quickly inside toward Vlahović who had dropped deep between Atalanta's midfield and defensive lines.

The Serbian striker laid it off first-time back to Locatelli who had continued his run from deep, and Locatelli's through ball aimed for Chiesa's run behind Mæhle was perfectly weighted.

But Djimsiti had read the movement and stepped across to intercept before the pass reached dangerous territory, and his clearance flew toward the right touchline where it went out for a Juventus throw-in.

Forty-five seconds elapsed. Juventus had circulated through seven passes and forced Atalanta backward without Atalanta touching the ball once.

The throw-in came quickly to Cuadrado who played it inside to Miretti, and the young Italian's first touch took him away from Koopmeiners' challenge before he passed it back to Danilo who was pushing high from right-back.

Danilo's cross came early toward the penalty spot, and three players jumped—Vlahović from Juventus, Tolói and Djimsiti from Atalanta—and Tolói's header sent it behind for a corner.

Two minutes gone. Atalanta still hadn't completed a pass.

The corner was taken short to Miretti who drove inside before shooting from twenty yards, and the ball flew high over the crossbar while Musso watched it sail past.

At the 3rd minute, Atalanta finally won possession when Musso's goal kick was headed down by Højlund toward Demien who was checking back toward his own half between Juventus' pressing forwards and midfield line.

Demien controlled it with his chest while Locatelli closed from behind and Miretti approached from the side, and his first touch on the ground took the ball left away from Locatelli's challenge.

But Rabiot had already read the movement and stepped across, and his foot poked the ball away before Demien could take his second touch, and suddenly Juventus had possession again thirty-five yards from Atalanta's goal.

Rabiot played it immediately forward to Vlahović who held it up against Tolói's pressure, and the striker's layoff found Chiesa cutting inside from the right.

Chiesa's shot came from eighteen yards with his left foot, and the ball flew toward the top corner before Musso dove to his left and pushed it over the crossbar with his fingertips.

The Curva Sud roared approval while Atalanta's defense reset for another corner.

At the 5th minute, the second Juventus corner was cleared by Djimsiti's header only as far as the edge of the penalty area where Locatelli was waiting, and his volley flew just wide of the left post.

Musso rolled the ball to Djimsiti to restart, and the Albanian center-back played it to Tolói who was under immediate pressure from Vlahović closing him down.

Tolói's pass went square to De Roon who was positioned just ahead of the defensive line as the right-sided midfielder in Atalanta's double pivot, and before De Roon could turn Rabiot had already arrived from behind with his body pressing close.

De Roon played it quickly back to Hateboer who had dropped from right-back to receive, and Hateboer's first touch controlled it while Chiesa pressed from Juventus' left wing.

The pass went inside to Koopmeiners who was operating as the left-sided midfielder in the pivot, and the Dutchman's first touch took him forward one step before Miretti closed the space.

Koopmeiners played it to Demien who had checked toward the ball again, and this time when Demien received near the halfway line both Locatelli and Rabiot were tracking him simultaneously from different angles.

His first touch controlled it, and his eyes scanned once to see Lookman making a run down the left wing, but before he could release the pass Locatelli's shoulder arrived and his foot challenged for the ball.

Demien managed to shield it and play a one-touch pass back to Koopmeiners, but the moment had closed and Atalanta's attack had died before reaching Juventus' defensive third.

Eight minutes gone. Atalanta had completed nine passes total. Juventus had attempted three shots.

-----

**9' - 15' | Atalanta's Brief Moment**

At the 11th minute, Juventus' attack broke down when Chiesa received on the right wing and attempted a cross toward the penalty spot, but the delivery was overhit and flew directly to Tolói who headed it clear with power that sent the ball past the halfway line.

The clearance dropped to Koopmeiners who controlled it with his chest while Juventus' defensive shape was still recovering from their attacking commitment—three midfielders too high, both fullbacks pushed forward, only the two center-backs actually in defensive positions.

Koopmeiners' first touch on the ground took him forward, and his second was a driven pass toward Lookman who had started sprinting the moment the clearance was won.

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