69th Minute -

The fourth official raised his board near the touchline, and Milan's coaching staff prepared their first change of the night.

Substitution - AC Milan

OUT: #10 Brahim Díaz

IN: #32 Tommaso Pobega

Díaz jogged off to applause from the San Siro crowd, sixty-eight thousand Milan supporters showing appreciation for his work rate and creativity, and Pobega entered with fresh legs and clear instructions—slot into central midfield, add physicality, help Tonali and Bennacer control the game's tempo.

The substitution shifted Milan's shape fractionally more defensive, prioritizing solidity over attacking creativity with twenty-one minutes remaining and a one-goal lead to protect.

70th Minute - Gasperini's Response

Gasperini immediately countered with his own tactical adjustment, and the fourth official raised the board again.

Substitution - Atalanta

OUT: #7 Ruslan Malinovskyi (worked hard but fading)

IN: #91 Duván Zapata

The Colombian striker entered to scattered applause from the away section, and Atalanta's shape changed immediately—shifting to a 4-4-2 with Zapata partnering Højlund up front while Demien dropped slightly deeper to become a central midfielder alongside Koopmeiners and Pasalic in a three-man midfield.

The intent was clear: throw more attacking bodies forward, use Zapata's aerial presence, and create chaos in Milan's box during the final twenty minutes.

72nd Minute -

With fresh legs and new tactical instructions, Atalanta tried a different approach. Musso collected a weak Pobega shot and immediately launched a long goal kick toward the halfway line where Zapata had positioned himself against Tomori.

The ball hung in the air for what felt like three seconds, both players jostling for position, and Zapata used his strength and aerial ability to win the flick-on despite Tomori's excellent defensive positioning.

The ball dropped toward Demien who'd positioned himself at the edge of Milan's box, anticipating the second ball, and Pobega charged in to challenge with the aggressive intensity of a player trying to make an immediate impact after entering.

The collision was heavy—both going shoulder-to-shoulder with maximum force—and Demien got to the ball first but Pobega's momentum knocked him off balance.

His attempted pass toward Lookman was underhit, the accuracy affected by the contact, and Calabria intercepted easily before launching Milan's counter with a long pass toward Leão.

Demien steadied himself, breathing hard, and the exhaustion was becoming harder to manage with every sprint and every physical battle.

73rd Minute -

Milan's counter broke down when Mæhle made a crucial sliding tackle on Leão near the touchline, and the clearance fell to Koopmeiners who immediately looked to restart Atalanta's attack with urgency that reflected the scoreline and time remaining.

His pass found Pasalic in space, and the Italian midfielder drove forward before switching play with a diagonal ball toward the right flank where Hateboer had pushed high up the pitch.

The Danish right-back controlled it cleanly and immediately looked up—spotting Zapata making a diagonal run toward the near post while Højlund attacked the space at the far post—and his cross came in with pace, driven low and hard aimed toward the six-yard box.

Zapata had timed his run to perfection, arriving just as the ball came in, but his positioning was marginal—his left shoulder fractionally ahead of Tomori's defensive line as Hateboer struck the cross.

The Colombian striker challenged for the ball with Kjær, both players rising simultaneously, and Kjær's attempt to clear it under pressure sent the ball spinning backward rather than away—looping over Tomori's head toward the edge of the six-yard box where Demien had continued his run after the buildup.

The ball dropped into perfect space.

Demien's positioning (72 rating) had been elite—he'd anticipated where the clearance might fall and continued his movement to arrive exactly where the ball descended—and his composure (75 rating) kept him calm despite the pressure of the moment.

His volleys stat (62) wasn't exceptional, but the technique was there, and his right foot made clean contact, striking through the ball with his finishing (65 rating) guiding the placement low toward the bottom left corner where Maignan's desperate dive couldn't reach.

The ball crashed into the net.

GOAL!

The away section exploded.

A middle-aged man in a faded Atalanta shirt leaped from his seat, both fists in the air, screaming "GOOOOOL!" with a voice that cracked from emotion, and beside him a teenager grabbed his father in a bear hug while tears streamed down both their faces.

Three rows down, a group of university students jumped and bounced together, arms around shoulders, chanting "DEMIEN! DEMIEN!" at the top of their lungs while scarves whipped above their heads in circular patterns.

An elderly woman with grey hair stood with her hands clasped to her chest, mouthing prayers or thanks while her grandson climbed onto his seat and waved a small Atalanta flag frantically.

Throughout the away section, strangers embraced like family—grown men hugging and crying openly, young women screaming themselves hoarse, children being lifted onto shoulders to see better—and the noise they created defied their numbers, two thousand voices somehow filling San Siro with joy that felt impossible thirty seconds ago.

Demien turned and sprinted toward the corner flag, arms spread wide, his exhaustion forgotten in the moment of pure elation, and his teammates chased after him—Zapata arriving first to jump on his back, followed by Lookman and Koopmeiners and Pasalic, all of them piling on top in celebration.

In the premium section, Sophia had both hands over her mouth, tears starting in her eyes as she watched Demien disappear under the pile of celebrating teammates, and she wanted to scream but the Milan supporters around her had fallen into shocked silence.

Commentator: "WALTER! He's done it! Atalanta have equalized at San Siro with a brilliant volley! What a moment for the young midfielder!"

Co-Commentator: "The cross comes in from Hateboer, Kjær tries to clear under pressure, and Walter is there with perfect positioning to volley it home! That's his third professional goal and what a time to score it!" he equalized at San Siro"

But something was wrong.

The referee hadn't blown his whistle to restart play. He was standing near the center circle with one hand pressed to his earpiece, listening to instructions from the VAR officials in the video operations room.

The Milan players had immediately protested, pointing toward the linesman and gesturing offside, and Tomori was making a square shape with his hands—the universal signal for asking the referee to check the screen.

74th Minute -

The referee jogged toward the touchline where the VAR monitor was positioned, and the San Siro crowd's noise shifted from Milan's stunned silence to a building rumble of anticipation as sixty-eight thousand home supporters sensed a reprieve.

On the giant screens around the stadium, the replay appeared.

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