CHAPTER 158: CHAPTER 153: NAPOLI VS ATALANTA IV

35’ |

The counter developed quickly and it came from chaos triggered by Demien finally forcing action under pressure.

De Roon collected the ball in Atalanta’s defensive third at the 35th minute and immediately looked for Demien who had checked into space between Napoli’s lines near the right channel.

The pass came with pace and Demien’s first touch was clean, but before he could turn Anguissa was on him again with Zielinski closing from the opposite side.

Double pressure.

Demien felt both players converging and his mind processed the situation quickly—passing backward would kill the counter, standing still would mean losing possession—so he attempted the La Croqueta Chain to escape.

The first motion came instinctively as he rolled the ball with his right foot away from Anguissa’s challenge while shifting his body weight, and the execution was smooth enough that a small gasp came from some fans in the crowd who recognized the technique.

But the second motion—the quick pull-back and acceleration in the opposite direction—was intercepted by Anguissa’s long leg that stretched across and poked the ball away just as Demien tried to complete the sequence.

Commentary Booth

"Ooh! Walter tries something clever!" Caressa’s voice carried surprise. "La Croqueta but Anguissa reads it! The physicality wins again!"

The ball spilled loose toward Atalanta’s right wing where Malinovskyi collected it in space, and suddenly Napoli’s defensive shape was stretched because their press had committed forward.

Malinovskyi accelerated down the touchline with the crowd noise rising sharply in pitch—not celebration but anxiety—and Napoli’s left-back Mário Rui sprinted to close him down.

The Ukrainian winger took three touches at pace before cutting inside sharply and creating a shooting angle, and his right foot connected with power from eighteen yards out.

The shot was driven low and hard toward the near post and Meret reacted quickly, diving to his left with both hands outstretched, and when he made contact the ball ricocheted away toward the edge of the box rather than out for a corner.

The crowd’s roar was full of adrenaline and relief.

Commentary Booth

"WHAT A SAVE! MERET!" Caressa shouted. "Malinovskyi’s shot had power but the goalkeeper’s positioning was perfect! That keeps Napoli’s two-goal lead intact!"

"Excellent reflexes," Bergomi added. "And look—that chance came because Walter tried to be positive. The execution wasn’t perfect but at least he attempted something forward-thinking instead of just playing safe."

Napoli defenders shouted at each other while scrambling to clear the rebound, and Rrahmani eventually hoofed it up the pitch to relieve pressure.

Atalanta players waved their arms in frustration because the chance had been created but not finished, and Malinovskyi dropped his head briefly before clapping his hands once.

Behind The Play

Demien jogged back into position and heard jeers behind him from spectators in the lower tier—voices shouting insults in Neapolitan dialect that he couldn’t fully understand but the tone was clear—and his marker Anguissa laughed while jogging past.

"Easy tonight," Anguissa said loud enough for his teammate Zielinski to hear. "He’s predictable."

The words were deliberate and meant to be heard, and Zielinski grinned while nodding agreement.

Demien’s fists clenched but he forced himself to keep moving because reacting would only validate their taunts, though David Drinkwater’s voice whispered that veteran players had been doing this for decades and the only response that mattered was performance.

Commentary Booth

"You can see the psychological warfare out there," Caressa observed. "Napoli’s midfielders are in Walter’s head now. Every mistake gets magnified, every taunt gets louder."

36’ - 43’ |

The next seven minutes saw Napoli continue to control the match with patient possession and aggressive transitions, and Atalanta’s defensive shape held firm but offered almost nothing going forward.

At the 38th minute Lobotka orchestrated another attack with a pass to Politano on the right wing, and the Italian winger’s cross was met by Osimhen whose header went just wide of the far post.

At the 41st minute Kvaratskhelia cut inside again and his curling shot from twenty yards forced Musso into a diving save that earned applause from even the Napoli fans who appreciated quality goalkeeping.

Touchline

Gasperini’s voice cut across the pitch repeatedly with instructions that mostly went unheard.

"HOLD YOUR SHAPE! DON’T CHASE! LET THEM HAVE IT WIDE!"

His assistant stood beside him with a tablet showing tactical adjustments, and between them they discussed potential substitutions though making changes before halftime would signal panic.

44’ |

The third goal came in the 44th minute and it started with a turnover in Atalanta’s midfield that was clinical and ruthless.

Koopmeiners received the ball near the center circle and tried to turn forward under pressure from Zielinski, but the Italian midfielder’s tackle was perfectly timed and the ball broke loose toward Lobotka who collected it with one smooth touch.

The Croatian’s head lifted immediately and he saw space opening because Atalanta’s defensive line had pushed up slightly to compress space, and Politano had already begun his run behind Mæhle on the right side.

The through ball was clean and weighted perfectly—not too hard so it wouldn’t run out of play, not too soft so defenders could recover—and it split Atalanta’s backline with surgical precision.

The home supporters rose before the finish even happened because they’d seen this pattern dozens of times and they sensed the inevitable, and the noise swelled into a crescendo of anticipation.

Commentary Booth

"LOBOTKA! THROUGH BALL!" Caressa’s voice rose with the crowd. "POLITANO’S RUN!"

Politano burst into the penalty area with only Musso to beat and his touch was assured as he took the ball wide of the goalkeeper’s dive, and when his left foot tucked the ball under Musso and into the net the stadium exploded.

Commentary Booth

"GOOOOOOOL! TRE A ZERO! THREE-NIL NAPOLI!" Caressa screamed. "This is a demolition! Atalanta are being torn apart at the Maradona! Lobotka’s vision, Politano’s composure—that’s the difference between these two teams tonight!"

"Clinical," Bergomi said, and his voice was almost matter-of-fact. "That’s what top teams do. They don’t need five chances to score three goals. Every opportunity gets punished."

Blue smoke erupted from the stands in massive plumes and the noise became deafening, and Napoli players rushed toward the bench where Spalletti stood with his arms raised in triumph.

Politano slid on his knees toward the corner flag and his teammates piled on top of him, and the celebration was wild and uninhibited because three-nil at home against a good team meant dominance.

On The Pitch

Atalanta defenders immediately turned on each other with voices raised and hands waving.

Mæhle pointed at the midfield where the turnover had occurred, his face twisted with frustration.

"YOU LOST IT! STOP LOSING IT IN DANGEROUS AREAS!"

Koopmeiners shouted back while gesturing at the defensive line that had pushed too high.

"THE LINE WAS TOO HIGH! I CAN’T DO EVERYTHING!"

Demial tried to calm them both but his own frustration was visible, and the team’s cohesion was fraying under the pressure.

Touchline

Gasperini slammed his water bottle shut with force and the plastic cracked slightly, and he shouted for calm with both hands raised.

"BASTA! ENOUGH! KEEP YOUR HEADS! WE HAVE FORTY-FIVE MINUTES LEFT!"

But his voice was lost in the crowd noise and his players’ arguments, and when he turned to his assistant his expression showed resignation mixed with anger.

"We need changes at halftime," Gasperini said. "This isn’t working."

Commentary Booth

"Three-nil at halftime and this match is effectively over," Caressa said. "Napoli have been absolutely dominant. Spalletti’s tactics have worked perfectly—press high, win the ball in dangerous areas, transition quickly. Atalanta have had no answers."

"And Walter?" Bergomi asked rhetorically. "Completely anonymous. Eight or nine touches in forty-four minutes, all of them under pressure, none of them productive. This is a night he’ll want to forget."

Demien stood near the center circle while Napoli celebrated and the atmosphere felt like it was swallowing him whole, and every mistake had been magnified by thousands of mocking cheers that echoed in his head.

The fourth official raised his board showing two minutes of added time, and those two minutes felt like an eternity as Napoli continued to press and Atalanta tried desperately to reach halftime without conceding again.

At 45’+1 Kvaratskhelia cut inside one more time and his shot whistled just past the far post, and the crowd groaned in disappointment because they wanted a fourth goal before the break.

The referee checked his watch at 45’+2 and raised the whistle to his lips, and when the shrill sound cut through the noise signaling halftime Demien’s shoulders dropped with relief because at least now there would be fifteen minutes away from this nightmare.

A/N

If you noticed any mistake please point it out, its so difficult editing while I’m sick.