The usual halftime buzz of tactical chatter and encouragement was replaced by a grim, suffocating silence.
Then, the door opened and Coach Cristian Chivu walked in.
He looked… calm. Dangerously calm. He walked to the center of the room, his eyes scanning the dejected faces of his players.
"So," he began, his voice a low, even hum that cut through the silence. "This is it. This is the moment. This is the test. Not Sassuolo. Not Lazio. This. Right now. In this room."
He looked at them, a flicker of something unreadable in his eyes. "Everything we have worked for, every battle we have won, has led to this moment. The moment where you are down, you are hurt, and you feel like the world is against you. And you have a choice."
He paused, letting the weight of the word hang in the air.
"You can stay here, in this silence," he continued, his voice dropping to a whisper.
