Tunnel Corridor

10:58 PM

The tunnel corridor was quieter than the dressing room, and Demien's footsteps echoed slightly off the concrete walls while he followed the staff member toward the pitch entrance where broadcast equipment was being set up under portable lights.

As they approached the mixed zone area, Roma players were still passing through in scattered groups, and most kept their eyes forward or down while moving toward their own dressing room, and the atmosphere carried the weight of elimination rather than just defeat because cup competitions ended seasons abruptly rather than allowing time for recovery.

The system activated in Demien's peripheral vision without sound or warning, and blue text appeared in clean lines against his mental field of view.

「MATCH COMPLETED」

「Mission: Score 1 Goal OR Register 1 Assist — COMPLETED」

「Base Reward: 50 MP」

「Performance Bonus: +25 MP (Goal + Assist + Penalty Won)」

「Total Reward: 75 MP」

「Current Balance: 304 MP | 190 TP | 103 SP」

The interface held for three seconds before fading completely, and Demien blinked once while processing the numbers, but his expression didn't change because the system's rewards were secondary to the result, and match points accumulated whether he acknowledged them immediately or reviewed them later.

The staff member gestured toward the pitch entrance where a broadcast reporter was waiting with a microphone, and camera operators were adjusting their positions to frame the shot with the Olimpico's floodlit stands visible in the background.

Pitch-Side Interview

11:02 PM

The reporter was a woman in her thirties wearing the official broadcast jacket, and she smiled professionally when Demien approached while the cameraman gave a countdown with his fingers.

"Demien Walter, congratulations on the victory tonight and welcome back to competitive football," she began, and her English carried a slight Italian accent that suggested she worked for one of the international broadcast partners. "Three months out injured, you come on at three-one down and help turn the match around. How does it feel?"

Demien kept his breathing steady while forming his response, and he was careful not to let exhaustion bleed into his tone because post-match interviews required controlled energy even when legs were screaming for rest. "It feels good to be back playing, and it feels even better that the team got the result," he said, and the answer was honest without being dramatic. "Credit goes to everyone—the players who started worked hard to keep us in it, and when the changes came we just tried to execute what the coach asked for."

"Your goal in the seventy-third minute changed the match's momentum," the reporter continued. "Can you talk us through that moment?"

"Lookman did the hard work beating his man and creating space," Demien replied, and he made sure to deflect credit even though the question was specifically about his goal. "The pass came into my feet with decent space, I turned away from the defender, and the finish felt clean. Sometimes they go in, sometimes they don't. Tonight it went in."

The reporter nodded and moved to her next question. "Alessandro Moretti's debut goal in extra time—you were one of the first to celebrate with him. What did that moment mean to the team?"

"Everything," Demien said, and the word came out with genuine emphasis. "Coming on for your debut in a match like this and scoring in extra time shows courage. He timed his run perfectly, attacked the space, and finished clinically. That's the kind of moment that can define a career, and he deserves all the credit for having the belief to make that run when everyone's tired."

"And finally," the reporter said, "you won the penalty in the hundred-nineteenth minute that decided the match. Was there contact, and did you feel it was the right decision?"

Demien chose his words carefully because criticizing referees created problems even when defending correct calls. "I drove into the box, the defender came across late, there was contact on my ankle after I'd touched the ball past him. The referee was in a good position to see it clearly, and he made the decision. I trust the officials to get those calls right."

The answer was diplomatic without being evasive, and the reporter seemed satisfied while wrapping up the interview. "Thank you for your time, and congratulations again on the victory and your return to the pitch."

Demien nodded and the camera light went off, and he turned back toward the tunnel while the reporter was already speaking to her producer about which clips they'd use in the post-match coverage.

Away Dressing Room

11:09 PM

When Demien returned to the dressing room the volume had risen slightly, and music was now playing from someone's speaker at a level that filled the space without overwhelming conversation, and the atmosphere had shifted from controlled relief to something closer to celebration though still tempered by exhaustion.

Players had phones out now and were checking messages that had accumulated during the match, and several were recording brief videos for social media or responding to texts from family while medical staff moved through the room checking on players who needed ice or treatment before the bus ride back to the hotel.

Demien sat down at his space and finally removed his boots, and his feet ached in the specific way they do after playing on firm ground for extended periods, and he set the boots aside carefully before pulling his phone from his bag to see what had built up during the past two and a half hours.

Notifications filled the screen—texts from Marco congratulating him on the goal, a message from Isabella saying she'd watched the entire match and was proud, several from Luca containing mostly emojis and exclamation points, and one from Sophia that simply read: Watched every minute. You were brilliant. Call me when you can.

Social media notifications showed the expected explosion of activity because clips of his goal and Moretti's header and the penalty incident were already circulating with commentary from journalists and supporters and football accounts analyzing every angle, and the narrative was forming in real-time around Atalanta's comeback and his return and Moretti's debut.

He scrolled briefly through Twitter without engaging with any of it, and the top trending topics in Italian football included "Walter," "Moretti debut," "Atalanta Roma," and "Coppa Italia," and the commentary ranged from tactical analysis to celebratory reactions to Roma supporters expressing frustration at how a three-one lead had evaporated.

@SerieA_Central: Demien Walter: 48 minutes, 1 goal, 1 assist, 1 penalty won. Three months out injured and he changes a Coppa quarterfinal away from home. That's a statement.

@CalcioNews: Alessandro Moretti's debut goal will be remembered for years. 19 years old, extra time, away at Roma, quarterfinal. Pure courage.

@AtalantaFans: THIS TEAM. Three-one down, extra time, and they find a way. Walter back, Moretti's magic moment, Koopmeiners ice-cold penalty. Semifinals here we come.

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