Atalanta defended their lead with controlled aggression in the minutes following the goal, their pressing intelligent rather than frantic, and Demien found himself dropping deeper to help de Roon shield the defense as Sampdoria pushed more bodies forward in search of a way back into the match.
When Atalanta won possession, Demien became the pivot point for every transition, his positioning between defense and midfield creating the passing lane that unlocked their attacks, and each time the ball came to him he'd scan the pitch with that enhanced vision from the Pirlo skill—seeing passing lanes others missed, controlling the tempo, dictating rhythm.
See everything. Control the tempo. Make them chase.
At seventy-four minutes, he received the ball deep and immediately spotted Koopmeiners making a run into space, so he swept a forty-yard diagonal pass across the field that dropped perfectly into the Dutch midfielder's path, and Koopmeiners' cross found Højlund but Audero saved well.
