The ball spun out for a throw near the halfway line, ricocheting off Saliba's foot after a contested aerial with Lookman.
The referee's whistle cut across the pitch, sharp and sudden. At first, it seemed routine.
But then the official jogged toward the downed Atalanta man—Koopmeiners, clutching his calf—and motioned for medical staff.
A brief pause in play.
"Water break," Darren Fletcher announced from the booth.
"A brief breather in what's been a blistering first twenty minutes."
On the touchlines, both coaches surged forward like coiled springs finally released.
Gian Piero Gasperini wasted no time, rallying his midfielders and forwards together with terse, rapid Italian.
"State stretti! Pressione più alta! Izan è il cuore—chiudetelo!" (Stay compact! Higher pressure! Izan is the heartbeat—shut him down!)
His eyes flicked up the pitch, where Izan stood near the sideline, sipping from a bottle, towel draped around his neck, chest rising and falling, but
calm—collected.
