26' |

The goal came when Atalanta's pressing forced a turnover high up the pitch and their transition into attack was immediate.

Demiral won a second ball in midfield after Udinese's clearance from a corner, and his header fell to Koopmeiners who was positioned fifteen yards inside Atalanta's half with space to turn.

Koopmeiners controlled the ball with his first touch and immediately looked forward where Demien had positioned himself between Walace and Lovrić in the right half-space, and the pass came vertically with good weight into the area where Demien could receive without pressure.

Demien's first touch killed the ball while his body shape opened toward the right touchline, and Walace stepped out aggressively from his position shielding the back four because allowing Demien to turn and face forward would create danger.

The Brazilian midfielder made contact with his shoulder driving into Demien's back while his leg came around trying to win the ball, and the challenge was physical without being reckless, and Demien absorbed the impact without losing his balance.

「TRAIT ACTIVE」

「Ball Winner」

His second touch came immediately while his right foot shielded the ball from Walace's challenge, and rather than trying to turn against the pressure he waited for support while maintaining possession, and his eyes scanned right where Hateboer was making an overlapping run from the wing-back position.

Walace continued pressing from behind and made another challenge that caught Demien's hip, but the contact wasn't strong enough to dislodge the ball, and Demien's third touch played it wide into the space where Hateboer's run had created separation from Udinese's defensive line.

The pass was weighted perfectly and arrived at Hateboer's feet in stride, and the Dutch wing-back drove toward the byline while Udinese's defensive shape scrambled to recover.

Hateboer reached the byline and his cross came low across the face of goal toward the near post where Højlund had made a run ahead of Becão, and the Danish striker met the ball with his right foot from six yards while the goalkeeper was still adjusting his position.

The finish was simple but effective—side-foot placement into the bottom corner with enough power that the keeper's dive came too late—and the net rippled while the Gewiss Stadium erupted.

ATALANTA 1-0 UDINESE

The roar was deafening as twenty thousand home supporters jumped to their feet while blue and black flags waved across every section, and the noise crashed down from the stands in waves while Højlund wheeled away toward the corner flag with his arms spread.

Lookman reached him first and grabbed his head with both hands while shouting something that was drowned out by the crowd, and Koopmeiners arrived next and slapped his back hard, and Malinovskyi joined the pile with his fist pumping.

Demien jogged toward the celebrating group and when he arrived Hateboer grabbed his shoulder and pulled him in while saying, "Perfect pass mate, right in stride," and his grin was wide while the celebration continued around them.

In the stands the Curva Nord bounced in unison while their banner unfurled—FORZA ATALANTA—and the chant spread across the bowl: "Ohhh, Atalanta! Ohhh, Atalanta!"

One elderly supporter in the lower tier hugged his grandson while pointing at the pitch and saying something about the goal, and nearby a group of friends were all shouting at once while replaying the sequence with their hands gesturing the pass and cross.

The broadcast replays showed the sequence from multiple angles while the commentators broke down the goal's construction without excessive focus on individual players.

"Well-worked goal and it starts with winning the second ball in midfield," the lead commentator said while the replay showed Demiral's header. "Quick transition, vertical pass into the attacking midfielder who's positioned between the lines. Two challenges absorbed while shielding the ball, waits for the overlap, release is timed perfectly."

"That's patient build-up," his colleague added. "Doesn't force the turn against pressure. Holds it, recognizes the wing-back's run, weight of the pass allows him to attack the byline at pace. Cross is dangerous, striker finishes. Textbook execution."

The replays continued showing Hateboer's run and Højlund's finish from different angles, and when play resumed Udinese kicked off with their defensive shape slightly disrupted by the conceded goal.

27' - 41'

Udinese responded to going behind by increasing their physical intensity in midfield, and Walace's challenges on Demien became more frequent and aggressive.

In the thirtieth minute Demien received from De Roon in the center circle and Walace closed immediately with his shoulder driving into Demien's back, and the contact was clean enough that the referee allowed play to continue, but the force knocked Demien slightly off balance while he tried to shield the ball.

His first touch wasn't clean because of the challenge and the ball rolled two yards away from him, and Walace stepped in front to collect possession before Demien could recover, and Udinese transitioned quickly through Pereyra who drove forward before De Roon forced him wide.

Two minutes later the pattern repeated when Demien dropped deeper to receive from Tolói and Walace arrived immediately with another physical challenge, and this time his leg caught Demien's ankle after the ball had been played, and the referee blew his whistle while Demien stayed on his feet.

The free kick was awarded just inside Atalanta's half and Walace received a verbal warning from the official, though no card was shown, and the Bergamo crowd whistled loudly because they felt the challenges were accumulating into something more cynical.

"Dai arbitro!" someone shouted from the stands, and other voices joined in with similar complaints about the physicality going unchecked.

「ATTRIBUTE CHECK」

「Balance 77 | Strength 87」

At the thirty-sixth minute Demien won a free kick in a more dangerous position when Lovrić clipped his heels as he turned in the right half-space, and the referee's whistle came immediately while Demien stumbled forward before regaining his balance.

Koopmeiners walked over while Demien was getting up and offered his hand, pulling him to his feet and saying, "They're worried about you turning. Keep getting on the ball."

The free kick was delivered by Malinovskyi toward the far post but Udinese cleared it without difficulty, and play resumed with Atalanta continuing to control possession while Udinese's defensive structure remained compact.

The physicality of the challenges was commented on by the broadcast team without dramatizing it.

"Midfield battle's getting competitive," the lead commentator observed after another challenge in the thirty-eighth minute. "Defensive midfielder doing his job—not letting the attacking midfielder turn, making contact on every reception. It's effective even if it's walking the line."

"Referee's managing it so far," his colleague added. "Couple verbal warnings but no cards yet. Needs to stay on top of it though or this gets messy."

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