My Ultimate Gacha System-Chapter 293 - 282: Bologna vs Atalanta - First Half

Chapter 293: Chapter 282: Bologna vs Atalanta - First Half

Thursday, April 27, 2023

Stadio Renato Dall’Ara, Bologna 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Tunnel - Pre-Match

2:57 PM

The tunnel was tight and concrete walls were sweating from the noise outside that pressed through stone, and Bologna players bounced in place while clapping in rhythm with the curva’s chant that leaked down the corridor.

Atalanta stood in a straight line and De Roon rubbed his palms together once before letting them drop to his sides, and Koopmeiners adjusted his armband while his eyes stayed forward.

Demien stood behind the starting eleven with his tracksuit zipped halfway, and he rolled his shoulders once before rolling them again while his breathing stayed controlled.

A translucent panel slid into view at the edge of his sight and blue text appeared against the transparent background.

「NEW MATCH MISSION」

「OBJECTIVE: Qualify for Coppa Italia Final」

「REWARD: 200 TP + 200 MP」

「MISSION ACTIVE」

The panel faded before the referee waved them forward with his hand.

Stadio Renato Dall’Ara

Pitch

2:59 PM

The stadium opened like a wall of sound and blue and red flags whipped in the air while drums thundered from sections behind both goals, and the scoreboard glowed above the opposite stand showing zero-zero.

The aggregate graphic flashed briefly in the corner of the broadcast feed.

AGGREGATE: ATALANTA 2-0 BOLOGNA

Commentary Booth

"Atalanta bring a two-goal advantage from Bergamo," the commentator said while both teams took their positions. "Bologna must score tonight if they want to reach the final in Rome."

The referee raised his whistle to his lips and checked both teams one final time.

Fweeeeeetttttttt!!!!!

0’ - 5’ |

The whistle blew and Bologna’s striker touched the ball backward to Ferguson who was positioned five yards behind him, and Ferguson’s first touch controlled it before his second touch played it forward immediately—not sideways, forward—and the vertical pass split Atalanta’s first pressing line between Koopmeiners and De Roon.

Bologna’s attacking midfielder received the ball with his back to goal and two Atalanta players closing from different angles, and he turned under pressure before releasing it wide to the right flank where their winger had space.

The cross came early—driven low and hard across the six-yard box before Atalanta’s defensive line could set properly—and Tolói stepped across the striker’s path with his body angled to cut off the run, and his header sent the ball clear toward midfield.

The rebound fell to the edge of the penalty area where Bologna’s midfielder arrived at full speed, and his half-volley came without hesitation but De Roon was already positioned in the shooting lane, and the ball struck his thigh before skidding away toward the touchline.

The crowd groaned collectively before clapping harder with renewed intensity, and Gasperini stood still on the touchline with his arms folded while his eyes tracked the defensive recovery.

On the bench Demien leaned forward with his forearms resting on his knees.

Bologna kept the ball and their right-back received from the throw-in before playing it inside to Ferguson, and the Scottish midfielder took two touches while scanning options before switching play with a diagonal ball toward the left flank.

5’ - 14’ |

Another attack built from Bologna’s left side and their winger received the ball fifteen yards inside Atalanta’s half with Hateboer tracking him closely, and quick passes started—one-touch combinations at the edge of the box where three Bologna players had positioned themselves in a tight triangle.

The ball moved from winger to attacking midfielder to striker in three seconds, and the striker’s touch came backward toward the penalty spot where a late-running midfielder was arriving unmarked because Atalanta’s shape had compressed toward the ball.

The low cut-back came across the turf with pace and the midfielder shaped to shoot, but Musso had already read the movement and was diving forward with both hands extended, and he smothered the ball before contact could happen.

Commentary Booth

"That’s the urgency from Bologna," the commentator said over the replay. "They’re not waiting. They know what’s required tonight and they’re pressing from the opening minute."

14’ - 23’ |

Atalanta finally held the ball for longer in the fourteenth minute when Musso rolled it to Scalvini who took two touches before playing it square to Djimsiti, and the Albanian center-back controlled it before looking up to scan options.

Koopmeiners dropped deeper into space and pointed with his right hand for Scalvini to widen, and short passes began circulating across Atalanta’s defensive third with slower rhythm that forced Bologna to reset their pressing shape.

The crowd whistled in sustained waves trying to rush the tempo, and De Roon gestured downward with both hands while his voice called for calm that carried across the pitch.

The ball moved from Djimsiti to De Roon to Koopmeiners and back to Scalvini in fifteen seconds without forward progression, and Bologna’s forwards pressed half-heartedly because chasing every pass would exhaust them before halftime.

Bologna regained possession in the eighteenth minute when Lookman’s pass toward Højlund was slightly overhit and their defender stepped in front to intercept, and immediately their transition began as the ball was played forward quickly.

Two passes moved it from their defensive third into Atalanta’s half within five seconds, and space opened on Bologna’s right side where their winger was isolated against Mæhle who was still recovering his position.

The winger drove forward with the ball at his feet and his first touch took him past Mæhle’s challenge, and his low cross came across the face of goal seeking the striker’s run, but Tolói had tracked back and his sliding clearance sent the ball behind for a corner.

The corner delivery came toward the near post and bodies jumped in congested space, but Musso came through traffic with both fists extended and punched clear powerfully, and the ball dropped thirty yards from goal where players scrambled for the second ball.

23’ - 31’ |

In the twenty-third minute Bologna switched play quickly from right to left when their midfielder received centrally and immediately played a diagonal ball toward the opposite flank, and Atalanta’s defensive line shifted but the movement came a step too late.

Bologna’s left winger took one touch to control the ball before sending a first-time cross into the corridor between Scalvini and Hateboer, and the space had opened because both defenders had been caught between stepping to the ball and holding their positions.

A late run from Bologna’s midfielder came from deep and he was completely unmarked as he arrived at the back post, and his header was powerful and directed downward toward the corner where Musso couldn’t reach.

The net snapped.

The stadium exploded.

GOAL: BOLOGNA 1-0 ATALANTA (23’)

The scoreboard updated immediately and the broadcast graphic shifted to show the new aggregate.

AGGREGATE: ATALANTA 2-1 BOLOGNA

On the pitch Bologna players sprinted toward the corner flag and the crowd surged forward against the railings while noise crashed down from every section, and the goalscorer was mobbed by teammates who jumped on his back.

Atalanta players didn’t argue with the referee and De Roon pointed toward the center circle immediately with his hand gesturing for everyone to reset, and Musso retrieved the ball from the net without looking at anyone.

On the bench Demien stood instinctively when the goal went in and his body had moved before conscious thought, but then he forced himself to sit back down while his jaw worked side to side once.

Commentary Booth

"And now it’s just one goal between them," the commentator said, and his tone had sharpened. "Bologna have cut the deficit in half. Atalanta’s advantage has been reduced significantly with over an hour still to play."

31’ - 39’ |

Play restarted and Bologna pressed again with renewed intensity because momentum had shifted, and Ferguson snapped into a tackle on Koopmeiners near the halfway line with his studs arriving high on the Dutch midfielder’s shin.

The referee waved play on without stopping the game and the ball spilled wide to Bologna’s winger who collected it before driving toward the penalty area, and another cross flew in toward the near post where three Bologna players had positioned themselves.

Scalvini jumped highest and his header cleared the danger, but this time the ball traveled further up the pitch toward midfield where Atalanta could build rather than defending immediately again.

The tempo didn’t drop and Bologna continued pressing whenever Atalanta had possession, and the tactical approach was clear—force mistakes through sustained pressure rather than waiting for Atalanta to create openings.

Atalanta responded in the thirty-first minute with their first real transition when Lookman received the ball in his own half from Koopmeiners, and space opened ahead of him because Bologna’s defensive line had pushed high.

Lookman drove down the left flank with the ball at his feet and his acceleration took him past one defender who couldn’t match his pace, and when he cut inside toward the penalty area a second defender closed quickly.

He squared the ball low toward Højlund who was arriving at the penalty spot, but a Bologna defender slid in at the last second with his leg extended, and the toe of his boot poked the ball behind for a corner before Højlund could make contact.

Atalanta players clapped once toward each other in acknowledgment that the attack had been good even without producing a goal, and the corner was delivered toward the near post where Tolói rose above his marker.

His header flew over the crossbar by two feet and the Bologna goalkeeper shouted immediately while pointing at his defenders and demanding they push higher up the pitch.

The half settled into a stretched pattern with Bologna attacking in waves whenever they had possession and Atalanta breaking only when space truly opened during transitions, and neither team dominated completely but Bologna created more dangerous positions.

Demien began warming up along the sideline in the thirty-ninth minute and his routine started with short sprints between the touchline and the technical area, and high knees followed before dynamic stretching, and his eyes never left the midfield battle happening twenty yards away.

39’ - 45’ |

In the forty-third minute Bologna nearly struck again when their attacking midfielder played a through ball that split Atalanta’s defensive line perfectly, and the weight was calculated so the striker could run onto it without breaking stride.

The striker rounded Musso who had come off his line to narrow the angle, but the touch that took him past the goalkeeper pushed the ball too wide toward the touchline, and his shot from the acute angle rattled the side netting instead of finding the goal.

The entire stadium inhaled collectively before exhaling in frustration when the ball hit netting on the outside rather than inside, and Musso slapped his gloves together twice while walking back toward his goal.

The fourth official raised his board showing one minute of added time, and Bologna sent one final cross into the penalty area before halftime arrived.

Scalvini jumped and headed clear powerfully, and the ball traveled all the way to midfield before the referee checked his watch.

Fweeeeeetttttttt! Fweeeeeetttttttt! Fweeeeeetttttttt!

HALFTIME: BOLOGNA 1-0 ATALANTA

AGGREGATE: ATALANTA 2-1 BOLOGNA

Players turned immediately toward the tunnel and the scoreboard still showed one-zero while the aggregate graphic remained visible in the broadcast feed.

Bologna supporters applauded loudly as their players jogged off the pitch with energy still visible in their movements, and Atalanta walked straight down the center line without gestures toward their traveling section.

Demien stepped aside to let the starters pass him in the tunnel and his eyes tracked each player as they moved by—some with heads down, others breathing heavily, all moving with purpose toward the dressing room.

The mission panel remained active in his peripheral vision without fading.

「MISSION: QUALIFY FOR COPPA ITALIA FINAL」

「STATUS: IN PROGRESS」

「CURRENT AGGREGATE: 2-1」

End of Chapter 263