5th Minute

Milan continued dictating tempo, their possession smooth and patient as they circulated the ball across the backline, and every time Atalanta pressed forward they found themselves one step behind the ball movement.

Maignan had the ball at his feet, no pressure from Højlund who was positioned to cut the passing lane to Tonali rather than close the goalkeeper directly, and the French keeper's distribution was excellent—a driven pass to Calabria that reached the right-back's feet forty yards upfield.

Calabria took one touch forward, drawing Malinovskyi toward him, then switched play again to Theo whose movement had taken him ten yards higher up the pitch than the last time he'd received.

Theo controlled on the move, his first touch killing the ball dead despite the pace on the pass, and he drove forward again with that relentless energy that made fullback one of the most demanding positions in modern football.

This time he found Leão cutting inside with a clever pass that split Hateboer and Tolói, and the winger took one touch to set himself before firing from twenty yards—his shot rising just over Musso's crossbar with power that made the net behind the goal ripple from wind resistance alone.

Goal kick to Atalanta. Musso took his time retrieving the ball from behind the net, using every legal second to let his defense reset and catch their breath.

7th Minute

Atalanta tried building from the back, Musso's goal kick dropping toward Djimsiti who chested it down under pressure from Giroud, and the Albanian defender's first thought was to play safe—back to Musso—but the goalkeeper waved him forward, demanding Atalanta try to progress the ball rather than circulating it pointlessly in their own third.

Djimsiti turned, Giroud's presence forcing him wide toward the touchline, and he found Mæhle in space on the left flank—the Danish fullback receiving cleanly before driving forward as Calabria closed from Milan's right side.

Mæhle's options were limited—Demien was marked tightly by Tonali, Koopmeiners had Bennacer within five yards, and Lookman was too far upfield to receive—so he played the percentages and chipped a ball toward Højlund's run.

The Danish striker had positioned himself between Tomori and Kjær, both Milan centerbacks aware of his movement but neither committing early, and when the ball arrived Højlund's first touch was slightly heavy—taking it away from goal rather than setting him up to shoot—and Tomori seized the opportunity to clear with a sliding intervention that sent the ball out for a throw-in.

8th Minute -

The throw-in was taken quickly by Calabria to Bennacer, the midfielder receiving in space because Atalanta's defensive positioning was fractionally too narrow, and his first touch took him away from Pasalic's press before he spotted Theo making a run down the left.

The pass was weighted perfectly, and Theo received in stride without breaking pace—forty yards of open grass ahead of him and Hateboer scrambling to recover.

Theo attacked the space with frightening intent, his legs pumping as he covered ten yards in what felt like two seconds, and Hateboer's positioning was good but his pace was inferior—the Milan fullback reached the byline first and cut back sharply.

His cross came in low and dangerous, aimed toward the penalty spot where Leão had timed his run perfectly to arrive unmarked between Tolói and Djimsiti.

Leão's shot was powerful and accurate, struck with the inside of his right boot toward the far corner, but Musso read it brilliantly—diving full extension with his left hand stretched to maximum reach, and his fingertips deflected the ball just enough to send it spinning wide of the post.

Corner to Milan. The stadium erupted in appreciation for both the attack and the save.

Commentator: "What a chance! Leão should score from there, but Musso produces a remarkable save to keep it level. Milan are completely dominant here in the opening ten minutes."

Co-Commentator: "Atalanta can't get out of their own half. Every time they win the ball, Milan's press forces them into mistakes or long clearances. Demien Walter has barely touched the ball—Tonali is glued to him."

10th Minute

Milan's corner was taken short, Theo receiving five yards from the flag before cutting back toward Díaz who'd drifted away from his marker, and the Spanish midfielder's first touch was silk—controlling with the outside of his right boot before threading a pass toward the near post.

The delivery found Giroud perfectly, but Djimsiti had anticipated the movement and challenged aggressively, both players rising together with Djimsiti getting just enough contact to send the ball looping over the bar instead of toward goal.

Another corner. Milan's pressure was relentless.

The second corner came in with more pace, aimed toward the back post where both Tomori and Kjær had charged forward, and the delivery was perfect—dropping between Atalanta's defenders—but Tolói attacked the ball bravely and headed clear under pressure.

The clearance reached De Roon thirty yards out, and the Atalanta captain took one touch to control before looking up—and there, finally, was Demien in space.

12th Minute - Demien's First Real Touch

Milan's press had compressed so far forward hunting the corner that when the clearance came, their defensive line was caught forty yards from their own goal with only Bennacer providing midfield protection.

Demien had dropped deep into Atalanta's half to find space away from Tonali's marking, and when De Roon's pass arrived—a simple ten-yard ball on the ground—he had three seconds of time that felt like luxury after watching Milan's suffocating pressure for twelve minutes.

His first touch was clean, killing the ball with the inside of his right boot, and Tonali was already closing—seven yards away and covering ground fast—but for once Demien had time to lift his head and survey.

The Özil technique activated.

Time didn't slow exactly, but his peripheral vision expanded fractionally, showing him the full width of the pitch in crisp detail, and suddenly he could see Lookman's run developing before it fully materialized—the winger had been positioned wide left but was now cutting diagonally across Calabria's line toward the half-space between Milan's right-back and centerback.

Bennacer closed from Demien's right side, body positioned to prevent him from turning toward goal, but Demien never intended to turn—he'd already seen the pass two touches before executing it.

His left foot opened, body shape suggesting a pass back to De Roon, and Bennacer adjusted his angle to cut that lane—but Demien's foot made contact with the outside surface instead, curling a lofted pass over Tonali's head with perfect backspin that made the ball hang in the air longer than physics suggested possible.

The ball dropped exactly where Lookman's stride would meet it, thirty yards upfield in space behind Calabria who'd been caught too high, and the Nigerian winger's first touch was excellent—controlling on his chest before letting it drop to his feet as Tomori raced across to cover.

Lookman cut inside sharply with Tomori tight on his shoulder, and his cross whipped toward the six-yard box where Højlund had timed his run to arrive between Kjær and the near post.

The Danish striker's connection was clean, his right foot meeting the ball first-time, but his attempt was blocked by Kjær's perfectly positioned body—the ball ricocheting away for a corner to Atalanta.

Commentator: "Finally! Atalanta create something dangerous. Lookman gets in behind, but Kjær blocks the cross well."

Co-Commentator: "That's the first time Atalanta have threatened. Milan's defensive shape has been excellent so far, barely allowing space between the lines."

In the premium seats, Sophia leaned forward slightly, her hands gripping the armrest as she watched Demien jog toward the corner flag for Atalanta's set piece.

Come on, she thought, though whether she said it aloud or only in her mind she couldn't tell over the noise.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.