**Wednesday, November 9, 2022**

**Stadio Alberto Picco, La Spezia**

**9:30 PM - Second Half**

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

The whistle blew and Spezia kicked off immediately, and the match restarted as the home crowd's noise built higher than it had been at any point during the first half.

**46' - 50' |**

Spezia's opening tempo was faster than before as they moved the ball quickly through midfield without pausing to build patiently, and their front three pressed Atalanta's defensive line with aggression that suggested desperation rather than strategy.

Nzola received from Maggiore at the top of the box and turned quickly, but Djimsiti was already positioned to block his path and the shot never came, and the Albanian defender's clearance went long toward the halfway line where De Roon collected under pressure.

From the touchline Gasperini's voice carried clearly as he shouted instructions about staying compact and not pushing too high, and his arms gestured toward his midfielders to drop five yards deeper than their first-half positioning.

Atalanta's shape compressed as the back line dropped closer to Musso while the midfield trio of De Roon, Koopmeiners, and Demien operated in a tighter area that denied space between the lines, and the tactical adjustment was visible immediately as Spezia struggled to find passing lanes centrally.

**Commentary Booth**

"Spezia coming out with real urgency here," the lead commentator said. "The home crowd is lifting them, every duel getting cheered like it's a goal. They know they need something from this match."

"And Atalanta responding by sitting slightly deeper," his colleague added. "Control over risk now. Protect the lead, make Spezia work for every inch."

At the forty-eighth minute Verde drove down the left flank and his cross came in flat toward the penalty spot, but Tolói attacked it with his head and cleared it back toward midfield where Koopmeiners won the second ball against Bourabia.

The Dutchman's pass found Demien who had dropped to receive between two Spezia midfielders, and his first touch controlled it while his body shielded the ball from Ekdal's challenge, and his second released it wide to Hateboer before the pressure could arrive properly.

**51' - 55' |**

Demien's workload increased during this phase as Spezia committed more bodies forward and Atalanta's defensive structure required constant adjustments, and his positioning shifted from orchestrating attacks to covering ground and closing lanes that opened when teammates pushed forward.

At the fifty-second minute Spezia built through their left side and Demien tracked back to help defend, and his run took him from the center circle into his own penalty area as Verde combined with Holm down the flank, and when the cross came in Demien was positioned near the back post tracking a runner.

The ball sailed over everyone and went out for a goal kick, and Demien jogged back toward his position while his breathing was heavier than it had been during the first half, and his legs felt the accumulated workload from fifty-two minutes of constant movement.

Nothing dramatic. Just the normal fatigue that came from midweek matches.

At the fifty-fourth minute another recovery sprint was required when Spezia won possession in midfield and transitioned quickly, and Demien sprinted back to help defend with his stamina at 88 allowing him to cover the ground, and he arrived in time to close down Maggiore's shooting angle which forced the Italian to pass sideways rather than shoot.

After the sequence was cleared, Demien slowed his jog back to position and rolled his right shoulder once while his left hand stretched his hamstring briefly during the stoppage, and the movements were quick and unconscious—just a player managing minor discomfort during a match.

No signal to the bench. No concern on his face. Play resumed.

**56' - 60' |**

Spezia's pressure continued as their crowd's noise built with each attack, and crosses came into Atalanta's penalty area from both flanks while the home side searched for the equalizer that their territorial dominance suggested they deserved.

At the fifty-seventh minute a cross flashed across the six-yard box with pace, and Musso couldn't reach it while Djimsiti was positioned behind him tracking Nzola, and the ball sailed through the danger area without anyone touching it and went out for a throw-in on the opposite side.

Gasperini was animated now on the touchline as he shouted for his midfield to stay connected with the defensive line, and his hands gestured constantly about compactness and discipline, and his voice carried across the pitch even over the crowd noise.

The away fans were audible in response as they urged their team to stay calm and keep working, and their chants of "Forza Atalanta" built in volume to counter the home support.

At the fifty-ninth minute Atalanta won possession in midfield when De Roon intercepted Bourabia's pass, and the Dutch midfielder played it forward to Demien who had dropped to show between the lines.

**60' |**

Demien received the ball with his back partially toward goal and two Spezia defenders closing from different angles, and his first touch controlled it while his body checked over his shoulder—Regista Vision mapping the positions—and his second touch released the ball into midfield toward Koopmeiners who had space to receive.

The pass was clean and the weight was good, and as soon as the ball left his foot Demien turned to accelerate into the space behind Spezia's midfield line, and the movement was instinctive and automatic because creating that passing angle after releasing the ball was fundamental to his role.

Two steps into the sprint, his stride shortened.

Not dramatically. Just a fractional change in his gait that happened without conscious thought, and his right leg felt different—not painful exactly, but wrong in a way that made his brain register alarm before his body could respond.

He stopped running.

His face changed before his body fully stopped moving, and the expression shifted from focused to confused to concerned in less than a second, and he raised his right hand toward the referee while his left hand went to his hamstring.

Then he sat down.

The stadium noise dipped as supporters on both sides processed what they were seeing, and the confusion spread through the crowd because there had been no tackle and no collision and no obvious moment of injury, and the silence that followed felt heavy.

The referee's whistle blew immediately and play stopped, and the official jogged toward Demien while signaling for Atalanta's medical staff to come onto the pitch.

**Commentary Booth**

"Oh no," the lead commentator's voice dropped. "That doesn't look good. Walter's gone down without contact."

"He knew straight away," his colleague said quietly. "Look at his face—he knew immediately something was wrong. That's the worst kind, when they know before anyone else does."

Demien sat on the turf with both hands pressed against his face, and his shoulders were hunched forward while his head stayed down, and he didn't roll or shout or move beyond that initial seated position.

When Atalanta's physios reached him they knelt beside him immediately, and one of them spoke softly while the other began checking his right hamstring with gentle pressure, and Demien's head shook side to side in response to whatever question was asked.

Then his face crumpled.

Tears came before he could stop them, and they spilled down his cheeks while his hands covered his eyes, and his breathing became uneven as everything hit at once—frustration and fear and the timing of it all—and he bit his lip hard while trying to control himself.

Koopmeiners knelt beside him and squeezed his shoulder without speaking, and the Dutch midfielder's face showed concern while his hand stayed on Demien's shoulder, and he said something too quiet for the cameras to pick up.

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