Chapter 75: Chapter 74: Atalanta vs Sampdoria IV
The system chimed in Demien’s head as he jogged back into position after Éderson was stretchered off at the thirty-eighth minute, the sound cutting through the stadium noise and the pounding of his pulse in his ears.
「URGENT MISSION ASSIGNED」
「Mission Name: Serie A Baptism」
「Objectives:」
・Achieve match rating of 7.5 or higher
・Complete at least 5 accurate passes
・Provide at least 1 assist
「Base Rewards:」
・50 MP
「BONUS OBJECTIVE」
・Exceed 7.5 rating threshold
・Bonus Rewards: +4 SP | +100 MP
「Mission Status: ACTIVE」
「Current Progress: 0/5 passes | 0/1 assists | Rating: N/A」
The panel faded as the referee positioned the ball for Sampdoria’s free kick where the injury had occurred, and Demien took his position in the defensive line as his heart hammered against his ribs because this was it, this was actually happening, and the mission parameters sat in the back of his mind like a checklist he couldn’t ignore.
Seven point five. One assist. Five passes. Just do what you know how to do.
The referee’s whistle blew sharp and clear, and Djuricic stood over the ball thirty yards from goal, and his delivery floated high toward the penalty area where bodies jostled for position, Gabbiadini rising highest but Djimsiti got there first and powered his header clear toward the right touchline where Hateboer collected it under pressure.
The Dutch wing-back played it square immediately to de Roon who was showing for it ten yards away, and the captain took one touch to kill the ball before looking up and spotting Demien in space twenty yards ahead, his positioning exactly where Gasperini had told him to be, finding the pocket between Sampdoria’s midfield and defensive lines.
"De Roon to Walter, the youngster’s first touch in Serie A..."
Demien’s first touch cushioned the pass perfectly as it arrived at his feet, and muscle memory from thirty-seven years as David Drinkwater combined with Demien’s upgraded ball control made the ball feel magnetized to his boot, and he turned immediately to face forward because standing still in midfield was how you got dispossessed.
Winks closed him down from the left, the English midfielder’s positioning intelligent as he cut off the passing lane toward Lookman, so Demien shifted the ball to his right foot and played it simple, a five-yard pass back to de Roon who’d continued his run forward after the initial pass.
「PROGRESS UPDATE」 「Passes: 1/5」
The ball moved quickly through Atalanta’s midfield as they rebuilt their attacking shape, and Demien drifted right toward Koopmeiners’ position because the Dutch midfielder had pushed higher, creating space that needed filling, and this was the defensive midfielder’s role—cover, support, recycle.
"Atalanta working it across the back line now, no rush, just keeping possession as we approach the fortieth minute..."
Tolói played it square to Scalvini who stepped forward with the ball at his feet, and when Fernandez pressed him aggressively, the young center-back just rolled it inside to Demien who’d dropped deep to offer the outlet.
The pass came to his right foot and Demien’s first touch took it away from Rincón’s pressing run, his second touch pushed it forward into space, and his third touch sent it diagonal toward Hateboer who was making an overlapping run down the right flank.
「PROGRESS UPDATE」 「Passes: 2/5」
The ball reached Hateboer perfectly weighted, and the wing-back drove forward before crossing low toward Højlund in the box, but Nuytinck read it and cleared with a powerful header that sent the ball spinning back toward the halfway line.
The clearance dropped near Koopmeiners who chested it down and immediately looked for Demien, finding him in space again, that same pocket between the lines where he could receive facing forward.
The pass arrived and Demien controlled it with his right foot, and Winks was coming again but this time from a different angle, so Demien shifted his body weight left as if preparing to turn that direction before dragging the ball right with the sole of his boot, the movement creating just enough separation to pick his head up and scan.
Lookman was peeling wide on the left, Højlund was holding his position centrally with his back to goal, and Hateboer was recovering position on the right—no clear forward option yet, so Demien played it simple again, a short pass to Koopmeiners who’d dropped into a deeper position.
「PROGRESS UPDATE」 「Passes: 3/5」
"Sensible play from Walter, keeping it moving, not forcing anything..."
The next passage of play saw the ball move from right to left as Atalanta probed for openings, and Demien touched it twice more—once receiving from Mæhle and playing it immediately to de Roon, another time taking a pass from Koopmeiners and spreading it wide to Lookman on the left wing.
「PROGRESS UPDATE」 「Passes: 5/5 ✓」
His positioning was solid, his movement intelligent, finding pockets of space exactly as Gasperini had demanded in that brief conversation before he came on, and with each touch his confidence grew incrementally as his body remembered that this was just football, just the sport he’d played his entire life across two lifetimes.
******
Sampdoria won a throw-in deep in Atalanta’s half, and Augello launched it long toward Gabbiadini who flicked it on with his head, but Djimsiti was there to collect it calmly before playing a simple pass to Musso.
The goalkeeper took his time, letting his teammates push up the pitch, before rolling it out to Scalvini on the left side of the defense.
Atalanta built slowly, patiently, working the ball from back to front as Sampdoria’s shape compressed and tucked in tight, and Demien kept showing for the pass in that same space between midfield and attack, making himself available, demanding the ball.
When it finally came to him from de Roon, he was twenty-five yards from goal with Winks approaching fast and Rincón cutting off the passing lane to Lookman, so Demien’s first touch pushed the ball forward two yards to create separation, his second touch opened his body toward the right side of the pitch, and he spotted Hateboer’s run before the wing-back had even fully committed to it.
In the forty-fifth minute, the pass needed weight, needed precision, needed to split Sampdoria’s defensive line while arriving at exactly the right moment for Hateboer’s sprinting run, and Demien’s right foot swept through the ball with his body leaning back slightly, his standing foot planted firm, his technique drawing directly from thirty-seven years of professional experience that knew exactly how much pace to put on a diagonal ball.
"Walter plays it long, diagonal ball toward Hateboer..."
The ball flew through the air in a perfect arc, curving away from Augello’s desperate attempt to intercept, and it dropped over the left-back’s head just as Hateboer burst past him into the space behind, the timing so perfect that the Dutch wing-back’s first touch was already moving toward the byline before Augello could recover.
"Brilliant pass from the youngster! "
Hateboer crossed it first time on his weaker left foot, whipping it toward the near post where Højlund had peeled away from his marker, but Audero rushed out and punched clear with both fists, the ball spinning away for a corner that came to nothing when Koopmeiners’ delivery was headed clear by Nuytinck.
The fourth official raised his board showing three minutes of added time, and Demien’s chest heaved as he jogged back into position, his legs feeling heavier now but his mind clearer because he was in the game, properly in it, not just filling space but actually contributing.
When the halftime whistle finally blew seconds later, the scoreboard read ATALANTA 1-0 SAMPDORIA, and Demien walked toward the tunnel with his teammates while the Gewiss Stadium applauded the performance.
Atalanta Dressing Room - Halftime
The dressing room was a controlled chaos of movement and sound as players found their assigned spots on the benches, some sitting with legs stretched out, others standing to shake out muscles, a few grabbing water bottles or energy gels from the physio’s table.
Demien sat between de Roon and Koopmeiners, his shirt soaked through with sweat despite only playing seven minutes, and the adrenaline that had carried him through those minutes was starting to ebb, leaving behind the awareness that this was only halftime and there were forty-five more minutes ahead.
Gasperini stood near the tactical board, waiting for everyone to settle, and when the noise level dropped below a certain threshold he began speaking with that calm authority that demanded attention without needing to raise his voice.
"Good first half," he said, scanning the room to make eye contact with different players. "We executed the game plan well, we pressed at the right moments, we kept possession when we needed to, and we took our chance when it came."
He tapped the tactical board where magnetic pieces showed Atalanta’s 3-4-2-1 formation.
"Sampdoria are sitting very deep and compact, which means we need to be patient. Don’t force passes that aren’t there. Keep moving the ball, keep stretching their shape, and the spaces will open."
His eyes found Lookman first. "Ademola, excellent finish. Keep making those runs in behind, they’re worried about your pace."
Then Højlund. "Rasmus, you’re doing exactly what we need up top. Hold the ball, bring others into play, keep their center-backs occupied."
Then Demien, and the room’s attention shifted with Gasperini’s gaze.
"Demien, solid start. Your positioning has been very good, you’re finding the right spaces and keeping things simple. That diagonal ball to Hateboer before halftime—that’s the quality we need. Keep doing that in the second half."
Demien nodded once, his throat too tight to speak, and Gasperini had already moved on to the wing-backs.
"Joakim, Hateboer, you’re both getting forward well but we need to be sharper with the final delivery. Cross earlier if you can, don’t let them get set."
He spent two minutes discussing defensive positioning, reminding Djimsiti and Scalvini to stay compact when Sampdoria transitioned, then turned to address the whole room again.
"Second half, same approach. Keep playing our football, keep moving the ball, and look forward more. They’re going to push higher because they need a goal, which means more space behind them. Exploit it."
He clapped his hands once. "Let’s go finish this properly."
The team stood as one, the energy shifting from recovery mode back to competitive focus, and Demien followed his teammates toward the tunnel where the second half awaited.