19' - 28' |
Cremonese restarted with something that looked like urgency but felt like desperation, Dessers tapping the ball to Castagnetti who immediately played it long toward Valeri on the left wing, but the pass was overhit and the ball sailed harmlessly over the touchline for an Atalanta throw.
Hateboer collected it and played inside to De Roon without hesitation, the cycle beginning again.
They'd been forced to open up slightly now, their defensive block stretching by five yards to chase the game, and that was exactly what Gasperini wanted because space meant opportunity and opportunity meant goals, and from his position in the technical area he could see the cracks forming in Cremonese's structure like fault lines spreading through concrete.
Commentary
"Cremonese have a decision to make now, Marco. Do they continue sitting deep and hope nothing else goes wrong, or do they push forward and risk getting destroyed on the counter?"
