Sunday, November 6, 2022

Allianz Stadium, Turin

Halftime**

The whistle for halftime blew and Atalanta walked off quickly with heads down while the Juventus crowd remained loud—voices still chanting, drums still beating—and the noise followed them to the tunnel entrance where it faded behind concrete walls.

The broadcast lingered on the scoreboard displaying 2–0 in white digits, and the camera held on it for three seconds before cutting to a replay of Vlahović's goal.

**Commentary**

"Juventus have controlled midfield territory completely. They've forced Atalanta wide, denied rhythm through positioning and pressure rather than fouls, and now they've converted that dominance into a two-goal lead."

"Atalanta haven't found any consistent way to build through the middle. Every time Walter receives, two players arrive immediately. The safe passes get intercepted, the ambitious ones don't connect."

-----

**Away Dressing Room**

Inside the away dressing room, there was no shouting.

Gasperini let the players sit first while they filed in—some heading to their lockers, others grabbing water bottles—and boots came off while ice packs moved around and breathing steadied.

Demien sat at his locker and unlaced his boots without speaking, and sweat dripped from his hair onto the floor while his chest still rose and fell.

When the room settled into quiet, Gasperini moved to the center and stood with his arms crossed.

"Spacing first. When you receive under pressure, the nearest player needs to show immediately for support. We're giving them time to double up because the angles aren't there."

He paused.

"Bravery on the ball. I know they're pressing hard, but hiding doesn't solve it. If the pass forward exists for even one second, you take it. Safe backward when there's genuine danger, not because you're afraid of losing possession."

His eyes didn't settle on Demien specifically, but the message was clear.

"Second half—we press higher for the first ten minutes. Force them backward, make them uncomfortable. If we can't find rhythm by playing through them, we change their rhythm instead."

Gasperini stepped back and gestured toward the door.

"Five minutes. Then we go again."

Demien listened while pulling on fresh socks, and his body language stayed neutral while internally he replayed moments where he'd chosen the backward pass and still lost possession.

The system mission remained active in his peripheral vision.

「OBJECTIVE: Achieve Match Rating 8.0 or Higher」

「CURRENT RATING: 6.8」

「STATUS: INCOMPLETE」

No feedback. Just numbers.

-----

**46' - 55' | Second Half Begins**

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

The whistle blew and Atalanta kicked off.

Højlund tapped it backward to Demien who played it immediately to Koopmeiners, and Atalanta's first sequence showed their adjusted approach—higher starting positions, faster circulation, more aggressive movement toward Juventus' half.

Koopmeiners drove forward three steps before passing it wide to Hateboer who had pushed high from right-back, and the Dutchman's cross came early toward the penalty area where Højlund was battling Bremer for position.

Bremer headed clear with authority, and the ball dropped to Locatelli who controlled it calmly despite Lookman closing him down.

Juventus came out with the same intent as the first half—no game management, no slowing down, no passive possession—and within two minutes their press had already forced Atalanta into uncomfortable areas.

At the 48th minute, Demien checked deeper to receive from De Roon, and when the ball arrived near the halfway line he attempted to turn under pressure as Locatelli closed from behind.

His first touch controlled it while his body began rotating left, but Locatelli had read the movement before it happened and stepped in cleanly with his body blocking the space and his foot reaching around to win the ball.

The crowd roared approval and Juventus transitioned immediately with Locatelli playing forward to Miretti.

**Commentary**

"Juventus doubling Walter immediately again. Every time he receives, two players arrive before he can lift his head."

At the 52nd minute, Atalanta found their clearest chance when Tolói intercepted a pass intended for Vlahović and immediately played it long toward Lookman who had space to run into down the left channel.

Lookman's first touch took him past Danilo who had been caught too high, and the English winger drove toward the penalty area with pace while Bremer scrambled to cover from central position.

At the edge of the box, Lookman cut inside onto his right foot and struck toward the far corner, but Szczesny had already set his positioning and stood tall rather than diving early, and when the shot came he smothered it by dropping to his right and gathering the ball against his chest.

The save drew another roar from the home crowd while Atalanta's away section groaned.

-----

**56' - 64' |

At the 57th minute, Juventus began building from Szczesny who rolled the ball to Bremer on the left side of their defensive line.

Bremer's pass went to Rabiot who had dropped to receive, and the French midfielder's first touch took him forward before he played it square to Locatelli centrally.

Locatelli turned and drove forward two steps before passing it back to Rabiot who had continued his run, and Rabiot's pass went right to Danilo who was pushing forward from right-back.

Danilo controlled it and played it inside to Miretti, and the young Italian laid it off first-time back to Locatelli who had space because Koopmeiners was five yards away recovering from his previous position.

Locatelli's pass went wide to Cuadrado on the right wing, and the Colombian's first touch took him toward the byline before he played it back inside to Danilo who had overlapped.

Danilo received and immediately played it back to Locatelli centrally, and the pattern continued—Juventus recycling possession patiently while Atalanta chased without getting close enough to challenge.

Two minutes passed with Juventus keeping the ball.

At the 59th minute, Locatelli played it back to Bremer who passed it to the other center-back, and the defender's ball went to the left-back who drove forward before playing it inside to Rabiot.

Rabiot's pass found Miretti who laid it off to Locatelli, and Locatelli played it right to Cuadrado again.

Cuadrado's first touch took him inside away from Mæhle, and his pass found Danilo who had pushed forward into the space vacated by Koopmeiners tracking Cuadrado's movement.

Danilo received with space to assess because Koopmeiners was five yards away, and when the Brazilian stepped inside with the ball De Roon moved across to close him down.

De Roon's movement created a gap between himself and Hateboer on Atalanta's right side, and Chiesa had already started drifting into that space from his position on Juventus' right wing.

Danilo's pass found Chiesa immediately—weighted perfectly into the channel—and the Italian winger's first touch took him into the penalty area before Mæhle could recover.

His shot came from sixteen yards with his left foot aimed toward the far post, and the ball took a slight deflection off Djimsiti's outstretched leg that changed its trajectory.

The deflection sent it spinning away from where Musso had committed, and the ball nestled into the bottom left corner before the goalkeeper could adjust.

**3-0.**

The stadium erupted and Juventus players celebrated while their supporters jumped and sang.

**Commentary**

"That's the game. Three-nil Juventus."

"Patient buildup, intelligent movement. Juventus haven't had to be spectacular—they've just been in control."

Demien jogged back into position while his legs felt heavier than halftime, and he exhaled slowly before looking toward the bench for the first time all match.

-----

**64' - 69' | The Substitution**

Juventus eased off after scoring—their press became less aggressive, their circulation slowed—and the urgency shifted into game management.

Atalanta pushed numbers forward but their structure was gone—gaps appeared between lines, defensive shape broke down when attacks failed.

At the 64th minute, Demien received from Hateboer on the right side of midfield, and Locatelli closed immediately while Rabiot tracked from deeper to provide secondary coverage.

Demien's first touch was heavy under the pressure—the ball rolling two feet further than intended—and by the time his second touch could control it Locatelli had already arrived and poked it away.

The ball rolled out of play for a Juventus throw-in.

At the 67th minute, Gasperini turned toward the bench and spoke to his assistant while gesturing toward the substitutes warming up.

Two minutes later, the fourth official raised his board.

**Number 28 coming off. Number 91 coming on.**

Demien's number displayed in red digits.

No booing from the home crowd and no applause from the away section—just a low murmur from Atalanta's supporters.

Demien jogged toward the touchline with his head up and his expression controlled.

Zapata high-fived him as they passed, and when Demien reached the technical area Gasperini's assistant pulled him aside briefly.

"Positioning was good when you could receive. But when they double you that early, check deeper to create the angle. Don't wait for the ball in the space they're already occupying."

Demien nodded once and moved to the bench where he sat down and grabbed a towel.

The system mission counter remained active.

「OBJECTIVE: Achieve Match Rating 8.0 or Higher」

「CURRENT RATING: 6.6」

「STATUS: INCOMPLETE」

The numbers hadn't improved. They'd dropped.

-----

**70' - 90'+3' | Final Phase**

At the 72nd minute, Atalanta won the ball in midfield when Zapata challenged Locatelli and the ball broke to Koopmeiners, and the Dutchman immediately drove forward before playing it wide to Lookman on the left.

Lookman cut inside past Danilo's challenge and his pass found Zapata at the edge of the penalty area, but the Colombian's first touch was too heavy and Bremer stepped across to clear before a shot could be attempted.

At the 76th minute, another Atalanta attack developed when Hateboer played the ball inside from the right to De Roon, and the midfielder's pass forward found Zapata with his back to goal.

Zapata laid it off to Malinovskyi who had come on as a substitute, and the Ukrainian's shot from twenty yards flew wide of the left post while Szczesny watched it pass.

At the 81st minute, Juventus won a corner after sustained pressure in Atalanta's half, and when the cross came in Bremer rose highest but his header flew over the crossbar.

At the 85th minute, Atalanta pushed forward again when Koopmeiners won the ball and immediately released Lookman down the left channel, but the English winger's cross was intercepted by Danilo who headed clear to safety.

**Commentary**

"Juventus' authority at home has been total tonight. They've controlled territory, suffocated Atalanta's creator, and converted their dominance into three goals."

"For Atalanta, this is a difficult night where the opponent never lets you settle."

At 90'+2', the fourth official raised his board showing one additional minute.

That final sixty seconds passed with Juventus keeping possession in their own half while Atalanta's press had no intensity left.

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

The final whistle blew.

**FULL TIME: JUVENTUS 3-0 ATALANTA**

Demien stood with the rest of the squad near the bench, and he clapped once toward the away section where two thousand Atalanta supporters were still singing, and then he walked toward the tunnel.

He knew this wasn't his night.

He also knew nights like this were part of the level he was trying to stay at.

The system notification appeared as he entered the tunnel.

「MATCH MISSION FAILED」

「OBJECTIVE: Achieve Match Rating 8.0 or Higher」

「FINAL RATING: 6.6」

「REWARD: NONE」

「Match Statistics:」

「42 Minutes Played」

「23 Touches」

「14/19 Passes (74%)」

「0/3 Dribbles Completed」

「2/7 Duels Won」

「0 Key Passes」

「0 Shots」

The window displayed for five seconds before fading completely.

No reward was granted.

That was what lingered as he walked down the concrete corridor toward the away dressing room.

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