The second half continued with Atalanta dominating possession and territory, and goals came in the 52nd, 61st, and 73rd minutes to make it 7-0 while Verona's defensive organization collapsed completely under sustained pressure.

At the seventy-seventh minute, the U21 coach gestured for Demien to warm up, and he jogged along the touchline while testing his hamstring's response to dynamic movement and finding it responsive without tightness.

**78' — SUBSTITUTION**

The board showed Demien's number replacing one of the midfielders, and he entered the pitch with the score reading 7-0 while the instruction from the coaching staff echoed in his mind—play, move, don't overthink.

His first touch came thirty seconds after entering when he received a pass from midfield with space ahead, and muscle memory activated immediately as his body positioned itself between Verona's midfield and defensive lines.

He took the ball on the half-turn with one defender pressing from behind, and his eyes scanned the options while his first touch killed the ball dead before shifting it right into space.

The gap existed on his right where Atalanta's winger was making a delayed run, and Demien's pass came quickly with weight and timing that allowed the winger to collect it in stride before driving toward goal.

The defender recovered and blocked the shot, but the sequence felt natural rather than forced, and Demien's positioning between the lines had created the opportunity exactly as his Vision stat and Mesut Özil's Eye-of-Needle legendary technique were designed to enable.

**81' — GOAL ATALANTA (8-0)**

The goal came from instinct rather than dominance, and Demien found himself in familiar territory between the lines when Atalanta regained possession near the halfway line.

A midfielder played a pass into his feet and he received on the half-turn with one defender pressing from behind, and his first touch—enhanced by his 82 Ball Control—took the ball right while opening his body toward goal in one smooth motion.

The space appeared before the defender could adjust because Demien's 86 Composure kept his decision-making calm under pressure, and his right foot met the ball cleanly with his 63 Finishing attribute guiding the strike low toward the near post.

The goalkeeper dove but the placement was precise enough that his hand passed beside the ball rather than reaching it, and the net rippled while Demien raised one hand briefly before jogging back toward the center circle.

No wild celebration because the match was already decided and excessive emotion felt inappropriate given the scoreline, but the execution had been clean and his body had responded without hesitation or compensation.

**90+2' — GOAL ATALANTA (9-0)**

The second goal arrived in stoppage time when Verona pushed forward recklessly trying to salvage some dignity from the match, and the space behind their defensive line was massive and obvious.

Atalanta's center-back played a long ball forward and Demien read the trajectory immediately, and his 91 Acceleration kicked in as he timed his run perfectly to stay onside while bursting into the channel between Verona's center-backs.

The ball dropped ahead of him and he took one touch to control it with his right foot while the goalkeeper rushed out from his line, and his 88 Sprint Speed had created enough separation that his second touch came without pressure—side-foot finish low to the keeper's left with composure that didn't belong at youth level.

The ball rolled into the empty net and Demien jogged back without celebrating because humiliating opponents served no purpose, and his focus was on how his body felt rather than the goals themselves.

**93' — FULL TIME**

The referee blew the final whistle and Demien walked off the pitch breathing hard but stable, and his right leg felt tired from the exertion but showed no pain or warning signs that suggested anything was wrong.

The physio approached immediately with questions about discomfort levels and range of motion, and Demien answered honestly while stretching near the bench and finding that everything responded normally.

"No pain?" the physio pressed while watching him stretch.

"None," Demien confirmed, "just normal fatigue from playing."

The physio and coaching staff exchanged looks that suggested this was exactly what they needed to see, and the decision to use the U21 match as a controlled stepping stone had validated itself through fifteen minutes of competitive action without incident.

**Sunday Evening

11:34 PM**

That night the system logged match activity properly for the first time since the injury at Spezia, and the interface appeared while Demien lay in bed with ice wrapped around both legs while his apartment stayed quiet around him.

「MATCH COMPLETED」

「Competition: U21 League」

「Minutes Played: 15」

「Goals: 2」

「Assists: 0」

「Match Rating: 8.5」

「Physical Response: POSITIVE」

「No Pain Reported」

「No Compensation Patterns Detected」

「Hamstring Load: Managed Appropriately」

「CONDITIONING PHASE UPDATED」

「Status: Match Fitness Resuming」

「REWARDS」

「+30 MP」

「+15 TP」

「+1 SP (Goal Bonus)」

「Current Balance: 180 TP | 103 SP | 229 MP」

The notification held no fireworks or dramatic progression markers—just confirmation that his body had handled competitive minutes without issue and that the rehabilitation process was moving forward as planned.

Demien dismissed the interface and closed his eyes while his right leg pulsed with the familiar ache of exercise rather than injury, and February was moving forward exactly as the medical staff had designed.

**Monday, February 20, 2023

Centro Bortolotti Training Complex

9:12 AM**

Demien returned to first-team training the next morning and the atmosphere was business as usual, and Lookman was the first to comment when they gathered for warm-ups on the main pitch.

"Heard you scored twice for the U21s," he said with a grin while stretching his hamstrings, "nine-nil final score—very competitive match."

"Match fitness," Demien replied simply while joining the warm-up routine.

"Against teenagers," Højlund added from nearby while doing dynamic stretches, "very impressive performance."

"They were trying," Demien said without rising to the banter.

"Not hard enough apparently," Lookman countered, and several players nearby laughed while continuing their preparations, "should have made it more challenging for you."

The banter continued briefly before Gasperini called them to attention, and training began with increased intensity compared to previous weeks now that Demien had proven his body could handle competitive minutes.

He joined possession games fully now without being pulled aside early, and when pressing triggers were introduced he participated in defensive transitions at controlled speeds while the coaching staff monitored him less obviously than before.

The restrictions that had defined his return were gradually loosening as each session confirmed what the U21 match had demonstrated—his hamstring was responding correctly to increasing loads and the risk of re-injury was diminishing.

During one sequence he received under pressure from two defenders and his body reacted automatically—shoulder drop to create space, quick turn leveraging his 87 Agility, pass into the next line with his 81 Short Passing—and the hesitation that had been present earlier in the week was absent.

De Roon noticed and nodded approvingly without saying anything because words weren't necessary when performance spoke clearly enough.

After training ended and most players had left for the dressing room, Demien stayed on the pitch completing extra stretching while the afternoon sun sat low over Bergamo, and he worked through his hamstring flexibility routine with methodical precision.

The system activated briefly to log the session.

「TRAINING SESSION COMPLETE」

「Full Participation: Approved」

「+10 TP」

「Current Balance: 190 TP | 103 SP | 229 MP」

He dismissed the interface and stood carefully while his right leg responded without complaint, and he looked toward the main pitch where groundskeepers were already preparing the surface for tomorrow's work.

Senior football was close now—not guaranteed but approaching—and the coaching staff would decide when he was ready based on how his body continued responding to training loads.

Walking toward the parking lot while evening began settling over the city, Demien's mind turned toward something he hadn't done since before the injury happened at Spezia.

The system had rewards waiting to be claimed, and 190 TP plus 103 SP represented significant currency that could be used to improve his abilities now that match fitness was returning.

Tonight felt like the right time.

I think it's time I use the system tonight, he thought while unlocking his car.

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