My Ultimate Gacha System-Chapter 286 - 275: Fiorentina vs Atalanta Second half I

Chapter 286: Chapter 275: Fiorentina vs Atalanta Second half I

Saturday, April 15, 2023

Artemio Franchi Stadium, Florence

Halftime - Away Dressing Room

The walk toward the tunnel was quiet as both teams moved with different energy levels, and Fiorentina’s players clapped their hands toward the stands while the home crowd stayed loud and appreciative because their team was ahead at the interval, and Atalanta’s squad walked with heads down and shoulders carrying weight because one goal down meant the second half required everything.

Demien moved with his teammates without looking toward where Adriano was walking on the opposite side, but awareness existed regardless of eye contact because both players understood what the match meant and how their individual performances would be measured against each other.

Inside the tunnel there was no talking between the teams—just boots on concrete creating rhythmic echoes, heavy breathing from players whose lungs were still recovering from forty-five minutes of intensity, and the crowd noise leaking through walls in muffled waves that suggested the stadium wasn’t relaxing even during the break.

Away Dressing Room

8:48 PM

The dressing room door closed and the noise from outside became properly muted, and Atalanta’s squad moved to their designated spaces quickly because everyone understood that fifteen minutes wasn’t time for extended recovery, and towels were thrown over shoulders while water bottles were passed around and physios moved between players checking on knocks and cramps that had accumulated during the first half.

No music played.

The atmosphere was serious without being tense—controlled frustration rather than panic—and conversations stayed minimal because words wouldn’t fix what tactics needed to address.

Demien sat on the bench in front of his locker and his breathing had normalized completely while his legs felt responsive despite forty-five minutes of constant movement, and his mind was already replaying sequences from the first half—the positioning when Cabral scored, the assist to Højlund that had equalized, the moment before Adriano’s goal when defensive shape had broken down.

Gasperini waited until everyone was seated before speaking, and he stood near the tactical board with his arms uncrossed and his expression showing focus rather than anger while players finished drinking water and adjusting their kit.

When the room went completely quiet he began without preamble.

"Spacing," Gasperini said, and his marker tapped the board where gaps between Atalanta’s midfield and defensive lines were marked in red. "Fiorentina are finding too much room between our lines. We’re arriving late to close those pockets instead of arriving early to prevent them from existing."

He drew movement patterns showing how Fiorentina’s midfield was dropping to receive before Atalanta’s press could engage.

"Adriano Ventresca," Gasperini continued, and the name was stated factually rather than critically. "He’s receiving in positions where he can turn before pressure arrives. That’s a positioning problem, not an effort problem. When he drops, someone goes with him immediately—don’t wait to see if he’ll receive, assume he will and be there when it happens."

His eyes didn’t single out Demien specifically but the message applied directly to his role, and Demien absorbed it without reaction because the instruction was clear and accurate.

"The adjustment is simple," Gasperini said while drawing new positioning on the board. "Midfield stays compact. Five yards tighter when we don’t have possession. Presses happen earlier—when their center-backs have the ball, not after they’ve played it forward. And the first five minutes of this half are critical. We don’t concede early. We weather their opening push. Then we find our rhythm again."

He paused and looked around the room.

"Patience matters more than urgency. We don’t force the equalizer in the fiftieth minute and leave ourselves exposed. We build pressure properly and the goal comes when it comes. Understand?"

Heads nodded without anyone speaking.

De Roon raised his hand slightly and his voice came calm. "Stay disciplined. Don’t chase their movement—make them work to get past our shape first."

Koopmeiners nodded while his eyes stayed on the tactical board, and his mind was already visualizing the positioning adjustments that would compress the spaces Fiorentina had exploited in the first half.

Demien listened without contributing verbally because the instructions were complete and adding words wouldn’t improve understanding, and his mind was already processing how his positioning needed to adjust—higher when Fiorentina’s center-backs had possession, tighter to Adriano when he dropped to receive, quicker release of the ball when options existed rather than holding for perfect.

The physio appeared in the doorway. "Five minutes, coach."

Gasperini nodded once. "Hydrate. Stretch. Be ready."

Players stood and the room’s energy shifted from passive listening to active preparation, and some did brief stretches against the wall while others took final drinks of water, and shirts were adjusted while shin pads were tightened one more time.

Demien stood and rolled his shoulders once before walking toward the door, and when he passed Koopmeiners the Dutch midfielder’s hand came out and they tapped fists briefly without speaking because words weren’t necessary between teammates who understood their roles.

Tunnel - Second Half

8:56 PM

The walk back toward the tunnel brought the noise flooding back as both teams assembled in their positions again, and the sound was louder than before halftime because Fiorentina supporters sensed control and wanted to push their team toward securing all three points while Atalanta’s traveling section was trying to will their players toward a comeback.

The players lined up in parallel formation with the referee standing between them, and Demien took a slow breath while his eyes stayed forward and his hands hung loosely at his sides.

Adriano stood several steps away in Fiorentina’s line wearing his number 10 with his posture relaxed and his expression carrying confidence that came from controlling the first half, and when their eyes met briefly across the space between teams neither acknowledged the other beyond that momentary recognition.

The referee checked his watch and nodded once toward both captains.

Both teams stepped forward into the light and the noise crashed down from all directions.

Artemio Franchi Stadium

9:00 PM - Second Half Kickoff

Fweeeeeetttttttt!!!!!

The whistle’s blast signaled the restart and Atalanta kicked off with the ball going backward immediately to De Roon, and Fiorentina’s front three pressed forward with the same aggressive intensity they’d shown throughout the first half while the home crowd’s noise sustained itself from the opening seconds.

46’ - 52’ |

Fiorentina’s intent was obvious within the first thirty seconds as they pressed high and closed down Atalanta’s attempts to build possession, and the tactical approach suggested they wanted to kill any momentum before it could develop rather than sitting back to protect their lead.

The crowd responded immediately with whistles greeting every Atalanta touch, and the noise created additional pressure beyond the tactical execution because playing under hostile sound requires different mental processing than playing in neutral or supportive atmospheres.

Commentary Booth

"Fiorentina starting the second half exactly as they finished the first," the lead commentator observed. "High press, aggressive intent. They clearly want to put this game to bed rather than protect a one-goal lead for forty-five minutes."

"Smart approach," his colleague agreed. "Atalanta showed quality in that equalizer before halftime. Letting them settle into rhythm in this second half invites pressure. Better to impose yourself early and force them to react."

Adriano dropped deeper in the opening exchanges to help with buildup, and his movement drew Demien with him because Gasperini’s halftime instruction had been explicit about not allowing the Fiorentina wonderkid to receive in space between lines.

The duel became positional rather than direct—Adriano checking over his shoulder to identify where Demien was before making his runs, Demien shadowing passing lanes instead of stepping out to press aggressively and leaving gaps behind him.

In the fiftieth minute Fiorentina created the first genuine chance of the second half when González received wide on the right with space to attack Mæhle one-versus-one, and the Argentine winger’s acceleration took him past the wing-back before his low cross came toward the penalty spot with pace.

Bonaventura arrived at full speed and struck first time without taking a controlling touch, and the shot was well-placed toward the bottom corner but Musso reacted brilliantly by getting down quickly and pushing the ball away with his right hand while his body position remained balanced.

The save drew scattered applause even from sections of the home crowd who recognized quality regardless of which team benefited, and the corner that followed was cleared by Djimsiti’s header.

52’ - 58’ |

Atalanta began settling as the opening pressure from Fiorentina’s restart gradually subsided, and the tactical adjustments Gasperini had implemented during halftime started showing effect because the spaces between Atalanta’s lines compressed properly and Fiorentina’s attempts to play through the middle encountered more resistance.

Demien’s positioning was tighter now—five yards higher when Fiorentina’s center-backs had possession, closer to Adriano when the Fiorentina midfielder dropped to receive—and the adjustment limited the time and space available for dangerous passes to develop.

58’ - 63’ |

The interception came in the fifty-eighth minute when Amrabat attempted a pass toward Bonaventura that was slightly underhit, and Demien read the trajectory early while his body position was already optimal for cutting across the passing lane.

「TRAIT — ACTIVE」

Ball Winner

The timing was perfect—no desperate lunge, no risky challenge that might draw a foul—just intelligent positioning combined with anticipation that allowed him to step in front of the ball and control it cleanly with his first touch while his body shielded possession from Amrabat’s immediate pressure.

His second touch came immediately because holding the ball invited challenges, and his eyes had already scanned forward during the interception to identify where space existed, and Lookman was positioned wide on the left with Dodô caught slightly narrow.

The pass came quickly and accurately, and circulation continued as Atalanta transitioned from defending to attacking within three seconds.

A/N

Hello, I am so sorry for not uploading yesterday. I dont feel so good that was why i did not upload... but i am back now.