My Ultimate Gacha System-Chapter 266 - 255: Udinese VS Atalanta III (Serie A)

Chapter 266: Chapter 255: Udinese VS Atalanta III (Serie A)

41’ |

The second goal came from a set piece and was executed with perfect timing.

Koopmeiners won a free kick deep in Udinese’s territory after being fouled by Arslan, and Atalanta’s players moved into positions around the penalty area while Malinovskyi stood over the ball.

The delivery came toward the far post with pace and curl, and Demiral had timed his run to arrive ahead of Becão while both players jumped for the header.

Demiral won the aerial challenge and his header came back across the face of goal toward the near post where defenders were positioned but not organized properly, and De Roon had continued his run from deep to arrive unmarked at the edge of the six-yard box.

The Dutch midfielder met the ball with his right foot from close range and tapped it into the net past the goalkeeper’s dive, and the finish was simple but the run’s timing had been perfect.

ATALANTA 2-0 UDINESE

The stadium erupted again with noise that somehow exceeded the first goal’s celebration, and De Roon wheeled away with his arms raised while his face showed pure satisfaction, and teammates surrounded him immediately.

The Curva Sud’s drums beat frantically while supporters jumped and hugged strangers beside them, and one section began the "Seven Nation Army" chant that spread across the entire home end within seconds.

Højlund reached De Roon and grabbed his head while laughing, and Lookman arrived next and shouted, "Beautiful run! Completely unmarked!" and the celebration continued near the corner flag while Udinese’s players walked back toward the center circle with frustration visible in their body language.

In the stands a father lifted his young daughter onto his shoulders so she could see better while the celebration continued, and she waved a small Atalanta flag while her father pointed at De Roon and explained something about the goal.

Gasperini clapped from the touchline and nodded in satisfaction before turning to his assistant and saying something that looked like tactical instructions based on his hand gestures, and his expression remained focused rather than celebratory because forty-five minutes still remained.

The broadcast replays showed Demiral’s header and De Roon’s late run multiple times from different angles.

"Set piece delivery’s excellent and the center-back wins it convincingly at the far post," the lead commentator said while the replay showed the aerial duel. "But watch the midfielder’s movement—starts the run when the ball’s delivered, timing is perfect, arrives completely free. That’s intelligent attacking from deep positions."

"Defensive organization breaks down there," his colleague added. "Too focused on the initial header, lose track of runners from midfield. Two-nil now and comfortable for the home side."

Play resumed with Udinese needing to respond but their compact defensive structure had been breached twice, and the confidence in Atalanta’s passing increased as the half moved toward its conclusion.

42’ - 45+2’ |

The final minutes of the first half saw Atalanta slow the tempo deliberately rather than pushing for a third goal, and Demien’s role shifted slightly toward recycling possession and choosing safe angles.

He received from Koopmeiners in the forty-third minute and rather than attempting to turn forward he played it back to Djimsiti immediately, and the simple circulation kept possession without creating danger but also prevented Udinese from building any momentum through turnovers.

「ATTRIBUTE CHECK」

「Stamina 97」

At the forty-fourth minute he dropped deep again to collect from De Roon and his first touch took him away from Lovrić’s press, but instead of driving forward he played it square to Malinovskyi who was positioned wide right, and the Russian winger worked it back to Hateboer before Udinese’s press could arrive.

The pattern continued through the additional minutes as Atalanta controlled the ball without forcing attacks, and when the referee raised his whistle to signal halftime the scoreboard confirmed Atalanta’s lead.

Fweeeeeetttttttt! Fweeeeeetttttttt! Fweeeeeetttttttt!

HALFTIME: ATALANTA 2-0 UDINESE

Players began walking toward the tunnel as applause came from the home sections, and Demien moved with his teammates while his breathing was controlled and his legs felt responsive without heaviness.

Several fans in the lower tier stood and applauded as the players passed, and one supporter shouted, "Forza ragazzi! Keep going second half!" while clapping above his head.

The system remained quiet in his peripheral vision because the half had been about tactical discipline rather than spectacular individual moments, and satisfaction came from executing the role properly rather than from statistics.

Gasperini waited near the tunnel entrance and spoke briefly with several players as they passed, and when Demien reached him the coach grabbed his shoulder and said, "Good, you’re finding the pockets well. Keep it simple second half, yeah? They’ll push higher, more space opens up."

"Yeah, got it," Demien replied, and his voice was steady.

The dressing room was calm when Atalanta’s squad gathered inside, and the atmosphere carried controlled satisfaction rather than celebration because the job was only half finished.

Gasperini stood near the tactical board and waited for everyone to settle before speaking, and his voice was measured without needing to be loud.

"First half’s good. We controlled it, got our goals through being patient and structured," he said, and his marker tapped the board showing Udinese’s defensive shape. "Second half they’ll push because they need something. That means space opens behind their midfield. Same thing—keep finding those pockets, wait for the right pass, don’t force it."

He gestured toward the defense. "When they counter, stay compact. Don’t chase their build-up all the way into their half. We defend our half properly, let them have it back there."

The instructions were simple and clear, and players nodded while continuing their recovery routines, and nobody spoke because Gasperini hadn’t finished.

"And listen—two-nil’s good but it’s not done," he continued. "We keep working the same way. Third goal comes, excellent. Doesn’t come, we manage the game smart. Don’t get lazy."

He paused and looked around the room. "Questions?"

Nobody spoke. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

"Alright. Drink, stretch, be ready."

The room fell quiet except for the sound of water bottles being opened and physios moving between players checking for minor issues, and outside the corridor echoed with footsteps and muffled voices as officials and stadium staff moved through their halftime routines.

Demien sat on the bench and stretched his right leg slowly, and the hamstring showed no tightness or discomfort after forty-five minutes of football, and his breathing had returned to normal while his heart rate settled.

Højlund sat down beside him and said, "Nice hold-up on that first goal. Walace was all over you."

"Yeah, he’s not giving me space," Demien replied. "Just gotta wait for the right moment."

"Keep doing it. When you hold it like that, gives us time to get forward."

Højlund stood and stretched while other players began moving toward the door, and the noise from the stands filtered through the walls as supporters returned to their seats for the second half.