Chapter 27: Chapter 26: Atalanta U23 vs Como U23 [VI]
The clock read 56 minutes, and Atalanta’s buildup was patient now as they’d learned Como’s press pattern—aggressive for ten seconds, then drop off to recover shape. Riccardo circulated the ball to Conte on the right, who played it back to Mancini, and the center back found Demien dropping deep again.
Two shadows closed immediately, but this time Demien was ready as he took the ball on the half-turn, his body already facing forward before one touch to his right made the first defender lunge. Demien dragged the ball back with his sole, then flicked it left with the outside of his boot, and the second defender arrived too late as he found Riccardo in space with a quick pass.
"Move!" Rossi shouted, and Riccardo drove forward while Como’s defensive midfielder stepped up to close him down, but Riccardo played it wide to Luca on the left wing before the pressure arrived.
Luca’s first touch was perfect, and his second took him past Como’s right-back with a sharp change of direction as the right-back recovered, lunging in with a desperate tackle, but Luca pushed the ball past him with the outside of his boot and accelerated. Now he was flying—twenty yards—and Como’s other center back rushed across to cover as Luca cut inside, dragging two defenders with him while Gabriel was making a run into the box, unmarked.
Luca squared it low and hard across the six-yard box, and Gabriel arrived with one touch, side-foot toward goal, but the keeper threw himself across and his hand caught the ball, pushing it up in a brilliant save as the ball flew over the crossbar.
Luca turned away, hands on his hips, breathing hard, and his face showed frustration mixed with respect for the keeper’s reflexes as Gabriel clapped, acknowledging the effort. "Good ball! Keep going!"
From the touchline, Rossi cupped his hands around his mouth. "That’s it! That’s the movement! Keep finding those pockets!"
*******
The clock showed 62 minutes when Como won possession in midfield as Gabriel’s pass was intercepted, and their holding midfielder immediately launched it forward—long and direct, bypassing Atalanta’s midfield entirely. Diego Marquez, Como’s left-back who’d pushed high, chased it down the left flank, controlling it with his chest before driving forward with the ball at his feet as Conte tracked back from right wing-back, sprinting to cover.
Marquez cut inside, dragging Conte with him as Mancini stepped across to help, and Marquez tried to slip a pass between them, but it was too tight and the ball hit Mancini’s leg. It ricocheted toward the touchline where Lombardi was already moving, collecting it cleanly with one touch to control as Como’s press arrived immediately, making Lombardi play it safe by finding Torres at center back.
The danger was over. For now.
*******
At 67 minutes, Atalanta built slowly from the back as Bellini rolled it to Greco, who played it wide to Conte, and Conte found Riccardo in midfield with a diagonal pass. Riccardo took two touches, scanning, as Demien was marked tight again—two Como players within five yards, ready to pounce—but Demien didn’t ask for the ball, instead making a run left and dragging both markers with him.
The space opened centrally, and Riccardo saw it immediately, driving forward into the gap Demien had created while carrying the ball fifteen yards as Como’s defensive line shifted, trying to adjust, but Riccardo was already playing the pass—a perfectly weighted through ball into the left channel where Luca had timed his run.
Luca was clear with ten yards of space between him and the nearest defender, and he took one touch to control as the keeper rushed out. Luca shaped to shoot, making the keeper spread himself, before cutting it back onto his left foot and creating a better angle, then striking it clean and powerful, rising toward the top left corner.
CLANG.
The ball hit the crossbar and bounced down as Gabriel was there for the rebound, swinging his foot, but a Como defender threw himself across, blocking it with his body as the ball spun away for a corner.
Luca dropped to his knees, both hands flat on the grass with his head hung forward in disbelief, while Riccardo jogged over to Demien with his expression different now—not cold, not hostile.
"I see you, brother," he said quietly, nodding once, and Demien nodded back with no words needed as respect was earned.
******
At 78 minutes, Atalanta won possession deep in their own half as Torres intercepted a Como pass and immediately found Demien, and two Como midfielders closed, but Demien was calm. His first touch was clean, taking the ball to his right as the first defender lunged in, trying to poke it away, but Demien’s balance held and he shifted his weight onto his left foot before dragging the ball back with his sole.
The second defender arrived from his left, closing the trap, and Demien could feel the space closing as his body reacted—rolling the ball across his body with the inside of his right foot before pushing it forward between the two defenders with the outside of the same boot. The gap was tight, maybe a meter wide, but the ball squeezed through as Demien accelerated after it, changing direction quickly while the first defender tried to grab his shirt, though Demien was already past and staying upright through the contact.
He emerged from the press with the ball still at his feet as five yards of space opened ahead, and Como’s defensive midfielder rushed across to cover, but Demien had already spotted Riccardo making a forward run. He played the pass—sharp and weighted—and Riccardo took one touch before looking up.
Luca was already moving, having drifted inside from the left and dragging Como’s right-back narrow, and space opened on the wing as Lombardi saw it and sprinted forward, overlapping Luca’s position. Riccardo played it into the channel with perfect weight, and Lombardi controlled it at full sprint as Como’s defense scrambled, but Luca had kept moving, spinning back toward the wing and taking up the wide position Lombardi had vacated.
Lombardi cut the ball back to him with one touch, and Luca was isolated now, one-on-one with Como’s right-back as he dropped his shoulder left, making the defender shift before exploding right with a sharp touch, the outside of his boot pushing the ball past the defender’s outstretched leg. The defender tried to recover but was too slow, and Luca was past him, flying down the left flank now, exactly where Rossi had told him to attack.
Como’s center back rushed across to cover as another defender closed from behind, but Luca didn’t panic, dragging the ball across his body with his right foot and creating half a yard of space before looking up. Gabriel had peeled away from his marker, making a diagonal run toward the near post while Romano was coming in at the far post, and Luca squared it low and hard across the six-yard box.
Gabriel arrived first with one touch from his right foot, and the ball flew into the roof of the net before the keeper could react.
Atalanta 3-0. (78’)
The small crowd erupted as parents jumped from their seats and scouts leaned forward, writing rapidly, while Gabriel wheeled away with arms spread wide. Luca chased him down, jumping on his back as Romano sprinted over and Riccardo followed, with Demien jogging up with a controlled smile, clapping once as they swarmed Gabriel near the corner flag in a mass of blue jerseys celebrating together.
On the touchline, Rossi pumped his fist twice. "Good! Now stay focused! Finish strong!"
In the directors’ box, Gasperini stood slowly with his expression unreadable, but his pen was moving rapidly across his notepad as Belotti lowered his binoculars. "Three-nil. Game’s over."
"Maybe for Como," Gasperini’s voice was quiet. "For us, it just got interesting."
He wrote something at the bottom of his page: Demien Walter - Priority Assessment
Then he tapped his pen against the page. "The winger. Number eleven. Who is he?"
Belotti checked his notes. "Luca Bianchi. Also a trialist. Same Milan scouting event as Walter."
"That run was exceptional. Beats two defenders, perfect cross." Gasperini made another note. "Keep an eye on him too."
"Should I request his file?"
"Not yet. But note him down. If he performs like that consistently, we’ll want more information."