8:35 PM - Final Preparations

Ten minutes before kickoff, the locker room had transformed into focused silence.

Players sat in their assigned spots wearing full kits, some with eyes closed in meditation while others stared at the ceiling or the floor or nothing at all, and the only sounds were breathing and the muffled roar from the stadium that penetrated even thick concrete walls.

Gasperini stood at the front again, and when he spoke his voice was quiet but carried absolute authority.

"Sixty-eight thousand against us tonight. But we have two thousand who traveled here, and we have each other. They can scream all they want—it changes nothing about what happens on the pitch. You control the ball, you control the space, you control the match. Do your jobs, trust your teammates, and we'll get a result here."

De Roon stood, the captain's armband tight on his bicep, and the entire squad rose with him.

"Together," the captain said.

"TOGETHER!" the squad shouted back, fists raised, voices echoing off tile and metal.

The referee knocked on the door—three sharp raps that meant time.

"Let's go," Gasperini said simply, and the squad filed out into the tunnel for the final time.

8:43 PM - The Tunnel

Milan's players were already waiting in the tunnel when Atalanta arrived, and the proximity felt deliberately intimidating—Leão standing with arms crossed and expression blank, Theo making casual conversation with Calabria about something that made them both laugh, Giroud adjusting his armband with the calm of someone who'd done this a thousand times.

The mascots appeared—local kids wearing oversized Milan jerseys who would walk onto the pitch holding players' hands—and Demien found himself paired with a boy maybe seven years old who looked up at him with wide eyes that suggested he'd never been this close to professional footballers before.

"Ciao," Demien said quietly.

"Ciao," the boy whispered back, and his hand felt tiny when Demien took it.

The referee checked both lineups one final time, nodded to his assistants, and the gates began opening slowly—mechanical grinding that built anticipation until the noise from the stadium crashed through the widening gap like a tsunami.

The referee led the procession forward, Milan first as home team while Atalanta followed, and Demien walked beside the young mascot through the tunnel toward light and sound that felt biblical in its intensity.

San Siro opened before them.

8:45 PM - Kickoff

The pitch was pristine under the floodlights, grass cut in perfect alternating stripes that would show every footprint and slide tackle, and seventy thousand people created a noise that felt like standing inside a jet engine—constant, overwhelming, inescapable.

The away section in the Curva Sud battled valiantly with their chants—"Atalanta! Atalanta!"—but their two thousand voices were swallowed by the Milanisti majority who sang "Rossoneri, Rossoneri" with the confidence of defending champions on home soil.

Commentator (DAZN Italy): "Welcome to San Siro for what promises to be a fascinating encounter. AC Milan, fresh off their Scudetto triumph, face an Atalanta side looking to build on their opening day victory against Sampdoria. Demien Walter makes his second consecutive start in Gasperini's attacking midfield role—a bold choice against opposition of this caliber."

Co-Commentator: "Walter impressed in that Sampdoria match, but this is a different level entirely. Tonali and Bennacer are two of the best defensive midfielders in Serie A. If they shut down Walter's passing lanes, Atalanta's entire attacking structure collapses."

The teams took their positions—Milan in their iconic red and black stripes, Atalanta in their away kit of blue and black—and the referee checked his watch before raising the whistle to his lips.

Fweeeeeeeeet!

Milan kicked off, Giroud tapping the ball to Díaz who immediately passed back to Tonali, and the match was underway.

1st Minute

Milan's approach was immediate and aggressive.

Tonali circulated the ball to Calabria on the right flank, the fullback driving forward with confidence while Lookman tracked back to pressure, and Calabria's first touch was clean before he played it inside to Bennacer who'd drifted wide to receive.

The Algerian midfielder took one touch to survey the field, then switched play with a raking forty-yard diagonal that curved beautifully through the night air and dropped toward Theo on the opposite flank.

The French fullback controlled it on his chest, Hateboer already closing, and Theo's first instinct was to attack—he pushed the ball five yards ahead and exploded into the space with acceleration that left Atalanta's right-back scrambling to keep pace.

Hateboer recovered well, using his positioning to force Theo toward the touchline rather than allowing him to cut inside, and the cross came in slightly behind Leão who'd made a diagonal run toward the near post—Tolói reading it perfectly and heading clear with authority.

The ball fell to Koopmeiners twenty yards outside Atalanta's box, and Milan's press activated instantly—Díaz closing from the front while Bennacer curved his run to cut the passing lane back to Tolói.

Koopmeiners saw the trap developing, and rather than forcing a pass that might be intercepted he played it safe to Musso who collected calmly before launching a long clearance downfield that Kjær headed away comfortably.

2nd Minute - First Touch

The ball broke to midfield where Tonali and Pasalic challenged, the Milan midfielder winning the duel with his superior positioning, and he immediately looked up to assess options.

Demien had dropped into the left half-space, trying to find space between Milan's lines, but Tonali's eyes locked onto him immediately—the Italian midfielder's defensive awareness so sharp that he'd identified Atalanta's creative threat before the ball even arrived.

Tonali played a simple pass to Díaz centrally, the Spanish attacking midfielder receiving under pressure from De Roon but managing to turn and drive forward three yards before laying it wide to Leão.

The Portuguese winger received facing forward with Hateboer tight behind him, and his first touch was exquisite—dragging the ball back with his studs to create half a yard of space before accelerating down the wing.

Hateboer stayed with him initially, but Leão's second burst of pace created separation, and his cross whipped across the face of goal with pace that Giroud couldn't quite reach—Djimsiti clearing behind for a corner.

Commentator: "Early pressure from Milan here. They're hunting the ball aggressively and Atalanta are struggling to establish any rhythm in possession."

Milan's corner came in with pace, Giroud attacking the near post while Tomori charged forward from deep, and the delivery was perfect—right onto Giroud's forehead—but his attempt lacked power and Musso collected comfortably at the second attempt after initially parrying.

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