The first whistle had not even fully faded into the Lecce sky before chaos unfolded across the pitch, in a way that made the entire stadium hold its breath for a moment that felt like it might last forever.
Barely a minute had ticked off the clock, and already Lecce, dressed in their blood-red home kits, were on the front foot, as if they had been waiting all week just for this exact moment, under these exact lights.
It all started with Krstovic pressing Atalanta's centre-back like a man possessed, like a wolf that had caught the scent of fear and was not going to let go until it got what it came for.
His pressure forced a sloppy clearance that bounced awkwardly and was recovered by Blin in midfield, who looked up with determination burning in his eyes as he scanned the options in front of him.
From there, the ball was shuffled right to Guilbert, who was already moving into space with sharpness in every step, and he cut it centrally to Luca Ferretti.
