Chapter 76: Chapter 75: Atalanta vs Sampdoria V
The referee’s whistle started the second half at the forty-sixth minute, and Sampdoria kicked off with immediate purpose, their shape pushed five yards higher than it had been in the first forty-five minutes because staying at 1-0 down wasn’t acceptable, and that small tactical adjustment changed everything about how space existed on the pitch.
Winks drove the ball forward immediately, playing it wide to Fernandez on the right wing, and the young winger’s first touch was sharp, taking the ball inside away from Mæhle’s challenge before laying it back to Rincón who’d pushed up to support.
"Sampdoria starting this half much more aggressively, they know they need something from this match..."
Atalanta’s shape adjusted in response, the defensive line holding firm while de Roon and Demien screened the space in front, and when Rincón tried to thread a pass through to Djuricic, de Roon stepped across and intercepted cleanly, the ball breaking to Koopmeiners who turned and drove forward into the space that Sampdoria’s higher press had created.
The Dutch midfielder spotted Lookman making a run down the left channel and played the pass early, but Zanoli read it and got there first, clearing it upfield where Gabbiadini chased it down.
The next sequence developed quickly at the forty-eighth minute as Sampdoria transitioned from defense to attack in seconds, and it started with Audero’s quick throw to Augello who was already sprinting up the left touchline, his pace carrying him past Hateboer’s initial pressing run before he cut inside and found Djuricic in space.
"Djuricic receives it, he’s got options here, Sampdoria building something..."
The Serbian playmaker’s first touch was perfect, killing the ball dead as he turned to face Atalanta’s goal, and he immediately spotted Gabbiadini’s run between Djimsiti and Scalvini, that narrow channel where strikers live, so he played the pass early with the outside of his right boot.
The ball split Atalanta’s center-backs perfectly, and Gabbiadini was through, one-on-one with Musso, the stadium’s noise rising to a collective gasp as twenty-five thousand people processed what was about to happen.
"GABBIADINI’S THROUGH! THIS IS A MASSIVE CHANCE!"
The Italian striker took one touch to set himself, his eyes on the goal, his body shape suggesting he was going low to Musso’s right, and the Argentine goalkeeper committed early, diving that direction with arms outstretched.
But Gabbiadini’s shot was rushed, his technique compromised by Musso’s aggressive positioning, and the ball flew over the crossbar by a foot, sailing into the netting behind the goal as the Sampdoria section groaned in collective frustration.
"OH HE’S MISSED IT! Gabbiadini should have scored there, what a let-off for Atalanta!"
On the touchline Gasperini was screaming at his defenders, his arms gesturing to tighten the gaps, and in midfield Demien exhaled slowly while his heart rate gradually returned to normal because that had been close, too close, and concentration couldn’t slip for even a second at this level.
The match settled into a pattern over the next few minutes—Sampdoria pushing forward with more urgency, Atalanta absorbing pressure before countering quickly, both teams trading possession without creating clear chances as the tactical chess match played out across the pitch.
Then, in the fifty-third minute, everything changed.
Sampdoria won the ball deep in their own half when Rincón dispossessed Lookman with a perfectly timed tackle, and the Venezuelan midfielder immediately looked up and spotted Fernandez making a run down the right touchline, so he played the pass long and early, the ball bouncing once before reaching the young winger who was already in full stride.
"Fernandez receives it on the right wing, he’s got space here, Mæhle’s trying to recover..."
The Uruguayan winger’s first touch was clean, his second touch pushed the ball five yards ahead into the space behind Mæhle, and his third touch was already driving him forward at full pace, using his acceleration to burn past the Danish wing-back who was still turning to chase.
Scalvini shifted across from his center-back position to cover, but Fernandez had already spotted Gabbiadini’s movement at the near post, so without breaking stride he swung his left foot through the ball and delivered a cross that bent away from Musso’s reaching hands toward the six-yard box.
"Cross comes in, GABBIADINI!"
The Italian striker had timed his run perfectly, attacking the space between Djimsiti and Scalvini, and his header was powerful and precise, directing the ball down and across Musso’s dive into the bottom corner.
GOAL. ATALANTA 1-1 SAMPDORIA ⚽ Gabbiadini 53’
"THEY’VE DONE IT! Gabbiadini equalizes and Sampdoria are level! What a cross from Fernandez, what a finish from Gabbiadini, and we’ve got a match on our hands now!"
The away section erupted while the Gewiss Stadium went quiet in that particular way that happens when the home team concedes, and Gabbiadini sprinted toward the corner flag with his arms spread wide as his teammates mobbed him, Fernandez arriving first with a huge smile on his face.
On the pitch Demien bent forward with his hands on his knees, sucking air through his teeth while his mind raced because that was world-class from Fernandez, absolute quality, the kind of skill that reminded you this was Serie A and everyone here could hurt you if you gave them space.
Need to step up. Need to show something. Can’t just be steady, need to be decisive.
He straightened and jogged back toward the center circle as the Atalanta players reorganized, de Roon clapping his hands and shouting encouragement, Gasperini screaming instructions from the touchline that were lost in the ambient noise.
The match restarted with Atalanta kicking off, and both teams pressed higher now, the equalizer changing the tactical calculation for both managers, and the next few minutes were end-to-end as chances came and went at both ends.
Atalanta’s response came at the fifty-eighth minute, immediate and aggressive, and it started with Musso’s quick distribution to Tolói who stepped forward confidently before playing a sharp pass into de Roon’s feet.
The captain turned smoothly and immediately looked for Demien who’d dropped deep to offer the outlet, and when the pass came Demien’s first touch was angled forward, his body already turning toward Sampdoria’s goal before the ball had fully settled.
Winks pressed him from the right, Rincón closed space from the left, and for a split second Demien felt the pressure of both markers converging, but then training and instinct took over and he played the ball forward to Koopmeiners before spinning away into space.
The Dutch midfielder laid it back first time, a one-two that bypassed both pressing midfielders, and suddenly Demien was in space twenty yards inside Sampdoria’s half with options developing around him.
"Nice combination between Walter and Koopmeiners, Atalanta building here..."
Lookman was making a run down the left channel, Højlund was holding his position centrally, and Hateboer was overlapping on the right, so Demien took two touches forward to draw Sampdoria’s defensive line toward him before playing a simple pass wide to Hateboer who crossed first time.
The delivery was decent but Nuytinck headed clear, the ball spinning away to Mæhle who controlled it and immediately played it back inside to de Roon, and the pattern continued—Atalanta probing, Sampdoria absorbing, both teams fighting for control.