Di Luca shaped to shoot and the keeper committed by diving early, but instead Di Luca cut it back across goal with the outside of his right boot—low and hard—straight to where Parisi had continued his run, and he met the ball two yards from goal before side-footing it into the empty net with his right foot.
The ball hit the back of the net as the small crowd exploded with parents jumping from their seats, scouts leaning forward with renewed interest, and the few die-hard fans who'd made the trip starting a chant.
Atalanta 2-0. (28')
Parisi wheeled away with fists clenched and screaming while Di Luca chased him down and jumped on his back, then Costa sprinted over from the right wing as Martinez ran from midfield with arms spread wide until they all swarmed Parisi near the corner flag in a mass of blue jerseys and wide grins.
On the touchline, Rossi pumped his fist once—sharp and controlled—before immediately starting to gesture while calling out, "Back in position! Don't celebrate too long!"
In the directors' box, Gasperini stood slowly, not with a dramatic jump but just a quiet rise from his seat as his eyes never left number eight, who was already jogging back to the halfway line with his face calm, as if this was routine.
Belotti lowered his binoculars and glanced at his notes before observing, "Both goals came from his passes. Sixty yards to the wing-back for the first. Threaded between three players for the second."
Gasperini's jaw tightened as he said, "Get me his full file."
"Now?"
"Yes. Now." Gasperini's voice was flat and professional, but Belotti heard what wasn't said: I was wrong about this kid.
Belotti pulled out his phone as his fingers moved rapidly across the screen.
*******
Como didn't collapse after the second goal as their coach shouted instructions from the touchline with hands gesturing frantically, and within thirty seconds they'd reorganized with a shape change that saw them dropping deeper instead of pressing high, packing nine players behind the ball when Atalanta attacked through compact lines and narrow channels that demonstrated defensive discipline.
The match slowed to a crawl as Atalanta circulated possession from side to side and back to front while probing for gaps, but Como's defensive wall held firm with every pass meeting a blue shirt and every run getting tracked.
Demien found himself with more time on the ball as Como's press had backed off because they were worried now about the long passes he kept launching over their midfield, so they sat deeper and sacrificed pressure for organization.
At 33 minutes, the ball came to Demien thirty yards from goal, and he scanned quickly—Costa on the right marked by two defenders, Di Luca on the left tracked tight, Parisi central with no space to turn, Martinez behind him but too deep—which meant no passing options because Como's shape was perfect.
He took a touch forward with his right foot to test whether anyone would step out, but nobody moved as Como held their lines, so he took another touch and moved closer until he was twenty-eight yards out.
A Como midfielder finally broke from the defensive line and rushed toward Demien with quick, aggressive strides, which was when Demien didn't hesitate as his right foot swung through the ball cleanly—low and hard, driven toward the bottom left corner with pace.
The shot flew through the gap the midfielder had left while skimming just above the grass, but Como's goalkeeper read it and dove full length with his left hand stretching until his fingertips reached the ball and deflected it just enough to send it wide of the post for a corner.
"Good effort!" Martinez jogged over while clapping once. "Keep testing them."
The corner came in high and Moretti attacked it, though his header flew over the bar as Como's goalkeeper collected the goal kick.
********
Como pushed out because they'd absorbed the pressure long enough and now needed to relieve it, so at 38 minutes their right winger—number seven, quick and direct—received the ball near the halfway line as Esposito immediately closed him down.
The Como winger dropped his shoulder left and Esposito shifted his weight to follow, but then the winger exploded right with one quick touch using the outside of his boot while accelerating past Esposito in a blur of pace, and though Esposito lunged to recover, the winger was already gone.
Down the left side he flew for ten yards, then fifteen, then twenty as Carlos tracked back from his advanced position while sprinting hard to cover, but the winger had the angle.
He reached the byline and whipped a cross into the box without breaking stride—low and hard, curling toward the penalty spot—where Moretti reacted by stepping across his marker to meet the ball with his head while trying to clear, though the contact wasn't clean and the ball deflected off his forehead before looping high into the air.
It dropped right to Como's holding midfielder twenty yards from goal, completely unmarked with time to set himself, and he struck it on the half-volley with his right foot—rising with power and placement—as the ball flew toward the top right corner.
Bellini was moving before the shot came as he read the trajectory and adjusted his position before leaping with his right arm stretched high and fingers extended as far as they could reach, and the ball grazed his fingertips just enough to deflect it up and over the crossbar for a corner.
"Good save!" Valenti shouted while rushing over to pat Bellini's shoulder. "Stay sharp!"
Bellini nodded with his chest heaving as he repositioned for the corner, which came in with pace as bodies crashed together in the box until Rinaldi jumped highest and headed it clear, sending the ball sailing toward the halfway line where Costa collected it on the right wing before Atalanta pushed forward again.
*******
The match settled into a rhythm where Atalanta controlled possession while Como sat deep and looked for counters, with Demien orchestrating everything through short passes to recycle possession, long switches to stretch Como's defense, and pressing whenever Como tried to build from the back.
His Stamina held strong and his legs felt good, proving that the enhanced stats from the gacha system were worth their weight as he maintained his energy levels throughout the half.
At 44 minutes, Martinez won the ball in midfield and immediately found Demien with a sharp pass, who turned and saw space before driving forward for thirty yards, then twenty-five, then twenty until three Como players closed in.
He played it wide to Costa, who crossed low into the box where Parisi's shot was blocked, and the rebound fell to Di Luca whose follow-up flew just over the bar.
"Unlucky!" Rossi called from the touchline as the referee checked his watch, showing one minute of added time.
Como tried to push forward one last time as their striker broke free down the right and cut inside Rinaldi before firing a shot toward goal that went wide by a meter.
The referee's whistle blew three times, signaling halftime with Atalanta leading Como 2-0.