Chapter 477 - 83 — England Vs Italy - Ten Minutes II

England’s best moment of the first quarter-hour came in the twelfth minute, Rice winning the second ball after Donnarumma went long.

Demien received it with Barella already pressing from behind.

He cushioned it into Kane and accelerated around Barella’s challenge.

Kane shielded it from Acerbi and laid it back.

Demien took it facing the Italian defense.

「LEGENDARY SKILL ACTIVATED」 「Andrea Pirlo — Deep-Lying Playmaker」

Bellingham broke beyond Cristante.

Demien slid it into his path.

Scalvini stepped across before Bellingham could enter the box, blocking the shooting lane and forcing Jude to lay it off to Rashford wide.

Rashford shot from the reduced angle.

Donnarumma saved at his near post.

「MATCH MISSION PROGRESS」 「Pressure-Release Actions: 2/6」

The fifteenth minute arrived, and Italy made England pay for the exact pattern they’d spent all week preparing against.

Italy recovered possession and moved down England’s left.

Berardi cut inside with the ball.

Di Lorenzo started his overlap outside him.

Rashford hesitated between the two, unsure which to track.

Berardi released Di Lorenzo into the space.

Demien was tracking Frattesi’s run toward the penalty area and couldn’t get across in time to stop the cross.

Di Lorenzo drove a hard, low ball across England’s box.

Frattesi attacked the near post but couldn’t get enough on it.

Scamacca arrived behind him between the center-backs and finished high, close range, before Pickford could close the angle.

England 0 — 1 ItalyGianluca Scamacca 15’

Scamacca sprinted toward Italy’s traveling support, arms wide.

Di Lorenzo reached him first, then Barella and Frattesi piled in behind him, the Italian end behind the goal roaring loud enough to carry across the whole stadium.

In Italy’s bench area, Adriano was on his feet with the rest of the squad, both fists raised — his country had scored, and nothing about their friendship changed that.

Demien stopped near the penalty spot, looking first at Frattesi, then back toward where Di Lorenzo had started his run.

His jaw tightened.

Italy had scored through exactly the wide-to-central rotation England had spent three days rehearsing against.

Rice reached him. "You alright?"

"I had Frattesi," Demien said.

"Marcus and Kieran have to deal with Di Lorenzo," Rice said. "Come on — we need to restart."

Demien took his position sharper than before, no wasted motion, jaw still set.

In the eighteenth minute, Italy came close to a second.

El Shaarawy received on the left and found Frattesi running between Walker and Stones.

Demien tracked back, but Frattesi got one touch inside the box before Maguire and Stones closed the space enough to spoil it.

The ball rolled through to Pickford.

Two minutes later, Scamacca received outside the box with Maguire tight to him, rolled away, and shot left-footed toward the far corner.

The ball traveled just wide.

Demien glanced up at the stadium clock as it went out for a goal kick.

England had been warned twice now since conceding.

He dropped back toward Stones on the next buildup and demanded the ball rather than staying high and waiting for it to come to him.

The twenty-second minute began with Stones carrying out from the back.

Rice drifted left.

Demien dropped into the right passing angle.

Barella closed immediately.

Stones found him anyway.

Demien opened his body before the ball arrived, let Barella’s momentum carry past him, and used the first touch to move away.

「TRAIT ACTIVATED」 「Press Resistant」

He drove forward through the gap.

Cristante stepped toward him.

Demien shaped toward Bellingham, forcing Cristante’s weight into the passing lane, then dragged the ball back across himself and burst through the other side.

「TECHNIQUE ACTIVATED」 「Through-the-Lines Drive — EPIC」 「LEGENDARY SKILL ACTIVATED」 「Jay-Jay Okocha — So Good Twice」

Scalvini stepped out to meet him as he neared the box.

Kane held central against Acerbi.

Bellingham cut across Cristante’s recovery angle, keeping the midfielder from reaching Demien’s shooting lane.

Demien reached about twenty-four yards and took one settling touch.

Scalvini began closing.

Demien struck before the block could set.

「EPIC SKILL ACTIVATED」 「Dipping Power Shot」 「STATS ACTIVE」 「Long Shots: 98 | Shot Power: 89 | Curve: 99 | Composure: 99」

The ball rose above Scalvini’s shoulder.

Donnarumma started toward the upper corner.

It dropped violently beneath the bar before his hand could get there.

England 1 — 1 ItalyDemien Walter 22’

Wembley erupted.

Demien watched it hit the net for half a beat, then screamed and turned toward the stands, sprinting for the corner, pounding his chest once and throwing both arms wide before Bellingham reached him.

Kane grabbed the back of his neck.

Rice came sprinting up from midfield, shouting into the middle of the celebration, because England had answered seven minutes after going behind.

"Escaped Barella completely on that turn," the commentator said, "forced Cristante to commit, carried the whole way through midfield himself, and punished Scalvini the moment he stepped out. That is a complete goal from start to finish."

「MATCH MISSION PROGRESS」 「Direct Goal Contributions: 1/2」

On the replay, Italy’s bench area went still.

Adriano had stopped whatever conversation he’d been having, elbows coming off his knees, leaning forward to watch the replay of Demien splitting Barella and Cristante.

He wasn’t shocked Demien could score.

He knew exactly what Demien had become.

What caught him was the level — senior Italy, at Wembley, in a qualifier that mattered.

Italy tried to reassert control in the twenty-fourth minute, Cristante dropping deeper so Barella and Frattesi could press Demien from two different angles instead of letting him carry centrally again.

Demien recognized it the moment Barella came from his left while Frattesi started closing from the right before the ball had even arrived.

He played backward rather than force the turn.

Italy’s adjustment worked, that time.

In the twenty-sixth minute, Berardi received on Italy’s right and tried to turn Trippier.

Frattesi started another run inside.

Demien tracked him, got shoulder-to-shoulder, and won the loose pass the instant Berardi tried to find him.

「LEGENDARY SKILL ACTIVATED」 「Marcel Desailly — The Rock」 「TRAIT ACTIVATED」 「Ball Winner」

He came away with it clean.

Italy’s midfield was still pushed forward from their own attack.

Demien drove straight into the open space in front of him.

「LEGENDARY SKILL ACTIVATED」 「Gareth Bale — Galáctico Surge」 「STATS ACTIVE」 「Acceleration: 99 | Sprint Speed: 99 | Strength: 99」

He took three increasingly longer touches through the center, Barella sprinting to catch him, Cristante turning and retreating rather than closing.

Bellingham peeled left.

Foden attacked the right.

Kane held central, forcing Acerbi to stay with him.

Scalvini started moving toward Demien.

Demien played it into Kane before the defender could fully commit.

Kane shielded it with Acerbi against his back, then laid it straight back into Demien’s path without breaking stride.

Demien entered the box before Cristante could recover.

Donnarumma came off his line, making himself big.

Demien opened his body as though he’d go near post.

Donnarumma shifted his weight.

Demien calmly rolled it across him into the far corner.

「STATS ACTIVE」 「Positioning: 97 | Finishing: 99 | Composure: 99」

England 2 — 1 ItalyDemien Walter 27’ (Assist: Harry Kane)

Five minutes after his first.

Demien turned straight to Kane, pointing at him for the layoff before running toward him rather than celebrating alone.

Kane pulled him in around the shoulders before Bellingham and Foden arrived.

"The first was a strike from distance," the commentator said. "This one started as a defensive recovery, turned into a full-speed transition, and finished with a finish as composed as anything you’ll see all season. Different goal entirely."

「MATCH MISSION PROGRESS」 「Direct Goal Contributions: 2/2」

In Italy’s bench area, Adriano stood without deciding to.

His eyes followed the replay — Demien winning the ball near England’s half, accelerating clean through Italy’s shape, finishing five minutes after his first.

Someone beside him said something Demien’s name.

Adriano didn’t answer.

He just kept staring at the pitch.