8:35 PM - Final Preparations
Ten minutes before kickoff, the locker room had transformed into focused silence.
Players sat in their assigned spots wearing full kits, some with eyes closed in meditation while others stared at the ceiling or the floor or nothing at all, and the only sounds were breathing and the muffled roar from the stadium that penetrated even thick concrete walls.
Gasperini stood at the front again, and when he spoke his voice was quiet but carried absolute authority.
"Sixty-eight thousand against us tonight. But we have two thousand who traveled here, and we have each other. They can scream all they want—it changes nothing about what happens on the pitch. You control the ball, you control the space, you control the match. Do your jobs, trust your teammates, and we'll get a result here."
De Roon stood, the captain's armband tight on his bicep, and the entire squad rose with him.
"Together," the captain said.
