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.

Lookman stood nearby with his hands on his hips while staring at the turf, and his jaw worked side to side while he waited, and De Roon approached and put his hand on Demien's other shoulder briefly before stepping back.

The Spezia crowd began to applaud, and the sound started scattered before building into sustained clapping that carried respect rather than mockery, and the home supporters recognized what they were watching even if they didn't know the severity.

The Atalanta section answered louder as their chants of "DEMIEN! DEMIEN! DEMIEN!" echoed across the stadium, and the away fans' noise built in waves while their player sat on the pitch crying.

The sound finally broke through whatever control Demien had been trying to maintain, and he wiped his face with his sleeve while his breathing stayed uneven, and he looked toward the away section briefly before covering his face again with both hands.

From the touchline Gasperini turned toward his bench and made an immediate substitution signal without hesitation, and his face showed no emotion beyond focus as he gestured for Pasalic to warm up, and there was no discussion or delay because the decision was already made.

The physios helped Demien to his feet carefully, and he could walk but his right leg moved gingerly while the medical staff supported him on both sides, and the limp was visible even though he was trying to minimize it.

As he reached the touchline he glanced once toward the bench where his teammates stood watching, and then he turned toward the away section and raised his right hand in a weak clap—just once—before sitting down heavily on the bench.

His head dropped forward immediately and the towel came up to cover his face, and his shoulders shook once while he sat completely still beneath the white fabric.

Touchline

The fourth official raised the board showing number 28 coming off and number 88 coming on, and Pasalic jogged onto the pitch while Demien remained seated on the bench with the towel over his head.

Gasperini stood on the touchline with his arms crossed while his eyes tracked the restart, and his expression showed no reaction to what had just happened because the match was still ongoing and his team still needed to defend their lead.

Commentary Booth

"That's Demien Walter's night over," the commentator said quietly. "And possibly much more than just tonight. The emotion tells you everything—he knows this isn't just cramp or a knock. That's genuine fear we just saw."

"The timing couldn't be worse," his colleague added. "Fourth in the table, World Cup break coming in a few weeks. If this is serious, his season could be in real jeopardy."

62' - 70' |

The match resumed and Atalanta reorganized with Pasalic taking Demien's position between the lines, and Spezia continued to press while the visitors defended their shape with numerical discipline.

From the bench Demien stayed motionless with the towel still covering his face, and only his hands were visible as they gripped his knees, and his head never lifted while the match continued in front of him.

At the sixty-fifth minute Spezia won a corner and their entire team pushed into Atalanta's penalty area, and when the delivery came in Nzola attacked it at the near post but Musso came through traffic to punch it clear, and the danger was cleared temporarily.

At the sixty-eighth minute another Spezia attack broke down when Verde's shot was blocked by Djimsiti, and the deflection went out for a throw-in, and Atalanta's defensive structure held despite constant pressure.

The blue system panel never materialized in Demien's peripheral vision.

No mission update. No completion notification. No reward calculation.

Just absence.

71' - 80' |

Spezia's frustration built as their attacks continued to break down against Atalanta's organized defense, and their crowd's noise remained loud but the edge of desperation was audible now as time passed without an equalizer.

At the seventy-third minute Ekdal struck from distance and the shot flew just wide of Musso's left post, and the away section exhaled while the home crowd groaned.

At the seventy-eighth minute Atalanta made their second substitution as Muriel replaced Lookman, and the Colombian forward's fresh legs gave the visitors an outlet on the counter even as they continued to defend deep.

Demien's towel finally came down at the eightieth minute, and his face was dry but his eyes were red, and he stared at the pitch without focus while his jaw worked side to side, and reality was settling in with each passing minute.

81' - 90' |

The final ten minutes played out with Spezia throwing bodies forward in search of an equalizer while Atalanta defended with desperation, and chances came from both sides as the match opened up.

At the eighty-third minute Spezia won another corner and Caldara rose highest to meet it, but his header went straight at Musso who caught it cleanly before launching a counter-attack that ended when Muriel was tackled near the halfway line.

At the eighty-seventh minute Pasalic broke forward on a rare Atalanta attack and his shot from the edge of the box forced Dragowski into a diving save, and the chance drew applause from the away section because it confirmed the three points were likely secured.

The fourth official raised his board showing four minutes of added time, and Spezia continued to press while Atalanta defended their box with every player behind the ball.

At ninety-two minutes Verde received wide and his cross came in flat toward the penalty spot, but Tolói headed clear with authority, and the ball was cleared long toward the corner flag where Atalanta ran down the clock.

The referee checked his watch while both teams understood the outcome was decided, and when he raised the whistle to his lips the away section was already celebrating.

Fweeeeeetttttttt! Fweeeeeetttttttt! Fweeeeeetttttttt!

FULL TIME: SPEZIA 0-1 ATALANTA

The final whistle confirmed the result and Atalanta's players raised their arms briefly toward the away section before beginning to exchange handshakes with Spezia's squad, and the professional routine continued even as everyone processed what the match had cost.

Demien stood from the bench slowly and began walking toward the tunnel without celebrating or acknowledging the result, and his limp was still visible as he moved, and teammates glanced toward him but nobody approached because the space felt necessary.

The away fans chanted his name one final time as he disappeared into the tunnel, and the sound followed him down the concrete corridor until the doors closed and left only silence.

Three points secured.

Fourth place maintained.

But the season had just changed.

And everyone knew it.

The final whistle went and Atalanta's players stopped moving immediately, and the relief on their faces was more visible than any celebration as they stood with hands on hips while their breathing was heavy from ninety minutes of defending.

Koopmeiners exchanged a quick handshake with De Roon before both turned toward the away section and clapped once, and Tolói did the same with Djimsiti while moving toward the tunnel entrance, and the entire squad filed off the pitch within thirty seconds of the whistle without lingering or celebrating.

The cameras followed Højlund briefly as he walked off but the broadcast cut away and stayed on Demien who remained seated on the bench with his right leg wrapped in ice and compression, and a physio stood beside him speaking quietly while gesturing toward the tunnel.

Demien stood slowly with assistance and began walking toward the tunnel entrance, and his right leg moved stiffly while the physio supported his left side, and the limp was visible even though he was trying to walk normally.

Commentary Booth

"Atalanta get the three points," the lead commentator said, and his tone carried acknowledgment rather than enthusiasm, "but the cost of this victory might be significant with Demien Walter leaving the pitch injured, and the concern on everyone's faces tells you this isn't minor."

"Muscle injuries are difficult to predict," his colleague added, "and sometimes they show themselves immediately while sometimes the full extent doesn't become clear until scans are done, and we'll have to wait for the medical assessment though the emotion we saw from Walter suggests he knew something was wrong the moment it happened."

"Timing couldn't be worse with the World Cup break coming," the first commentator continued, "because England's squad announcement is in days, and if this is serious then his season could be in jeopardy."

Away Dressing Room

10:32 PM

The tunnel was empty when Demien passed through it, and the only sound was his uneven footsteps echoing off concrete walls while the physio walked beside him without speaking, and they reached the away dressing room door where muffled voices came from inside.

Demien entered first and the room went quiet for a moment as teammates glanced toward him, and several players nodded acknowledgment while others were already in the showers, and the atmosphere was subdued despite the three points.

He moved to his spot in the corner and sat heavily on the bench while the physio began unwrapping the compression from his leg, and Koopmeiners approached and tapped his shoulder once without saying anything before moving toward his own locker.

Lookman walked past heading to the showers and squeezed Demien's shoulder briefly, and the gesture was quick rather than emotional, and Demien nodded once in response before Lookman disappeared into the shower area.

The room filled with the normal post-match sounds—water running, boots being unlaced, quiet conversations—and nobody made the injury the focus of attention because everyone understood that dwelling on it wouldn't help anything.

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