On 25 May, Matchday 37 of Serie A, AC Milan's away match against Atalanta kicked off.
Inzaghi made several rotation changes for this fixture.
In attack, Pazzini came in to replace Torres, while in midfield Polly was brought in for Menez!
Muntari also returned to the starting eleven, replacing De Jong!
This was not Inzaghi being complacent, but rather the squad was facing two matches in a week, and fitness concerns made some rotation necessary.
Not everyone trained their stamina to the limit the way Leon did!
"We should take this match without too much trouble, right?"
"Should be!"
"Atalanta have already secured their survival, there's no reason for them to go toe-to-toe with AC Milan!"
The Feng Fans back in the East were already chatting away on the Feng Fans Hub.
At this point the Feng Fans Hub was still in its early days, looking more like a basic forum!
The Feng Fans could post in the usual way, or follow the live match with a real-time comment feed!
Once the match began, the Feng Fans were watching in a relaxed mood.
AC Milan quickly took control of possession on the pitch, just as expected!
They launched a fierce assault on the Atalanta goal!
However, in the 21st minute, something nobody had anticipated happened.
Atalanta's right winger Morales broke through on goal, then suddenly played a cutback, and midfielder D. Baselli struck a looping shot that beat Leon in goal!
As the season had progressed, every club had naturally studied Leon in ever greater depth!
Leon's extraordinary ability to stop one-on-ones had been thoroughly analysed by every club he faced!
As a result, whenever teams found themselves through on goal, they had started producing more varied approaches!
This was undoubtedly making things considerably harder for Leon!
This time, D. Baselli's chip found a genuine dead angle!
Even though Leon had retreated to his line and made an extreme diving effort, he could only just graze the ball with his fingertips!
But it was not enough to alter the ball's trajectory!
Just 21 minutes in, AC Milan were trailing 0-1!
How long had it been since that had happened?
"Trouble! Roma have scored over on their end!"
"Roma are currently leading Lazio 1-0! On the live table, they're now four points ahead of AC Milan!"
Many of the fans back in the East were tracking Roma's score at the same time.
The situation had suddenly swung against AC Milan.
If both AC Milan and Roma finished the match at their current scorelines, AC Milan would be out of contention for second place in the table entirely!
On the touchline, Inzaghi instinctively rubbed his chin.
This was not something he had anticipated either.
Out on the pitch, Leon remained composed and steady!
Seeing the anxious looks on his teammates' faces, Leon knew this was the moment to step up as captain!
In the 26th minute, Morales broke through on goal again and attempted the same trick, but Leon charged off his line and cut him down directly!
Immediately after, a long pass instantly launched an AC Milan attack!
Although Suso's final touch went wide, it sent a tremor of alarm through the Atalanta players!
In the 31st minute, Leon made a clean save from Denis's header!
He then set an attack in motion with a throw!
Pazzini's shot rattled the frame of the goal!
Neither of these two attacks ended in a goal, but they lifted AC Milan's spirits significantly!
With Leon there, there was nothing to worry about!
Before this match had begun, Leon's overall ability had been boosted to a new level!
With the 1,000 system points awarded after winning the Coppa Italia in the previous match, Leon had accumulated 1,167 system points before this fixture!
Leon pressed ahead with improving his attributes!
Nerve Index: 10 to 15! Cost: 500 system points!
This attribute directly affected the intensity of a goalkeeper's focus!
In plain terms, when the mood was right, performance would be extraordinary!
But when the mood was poor, baffling elementary errors would begin to creep in!
For Leon, with his powerful mental attributes as a foundation, the higher this attribute climbed the better!
Because the higher it was, the more easily Leon could produce performances far exceeding his current level!
Goal Kicks: 10 to 15! Cost: 500 system points!
Throw Distribution: 14 to 15! Cost: 100 system points!
67 system points remaining!
Never enough system points!
On top of that, after winning the Coppa Italia, Leon had unlocked his first team trait: Momentum Build!
Momentum Build: At the start of the first half, the team's attacking and defensive ratings are reduced by 10%. Every 10 minutes that pass, those ratings recover by 2%. At the start of the second half, the team's attacking and defensive ratings increase by 20%. For every goal conceded in the first half, an additional 10% is added to the attacking and defensive ratings at the start of the second half! This lasts until the final whistle!
This team trait would directly transform AC Milan into a side that was terrifying to face in the second half!
And that was exactly how it played out.
Just ten minutes into the second half, AC Milan put every Milan supporter completely at ease!
In the 47th minute, with a 30% attacking boost behind him, Pazzini rediscovered his peak-form brilliance!
A sequence of quick close-control moves inside the box, then a decisive stab of the foot to finish!
A glimpse of the player he once was!
1-1!
AC Milan had drawn level!
In the 51st minute, Suso drove at pace down the left flank, cutting through as though there was nobody in his way!
An instinctive strike with the outside of his boot hit the right post and bounced in!
2-1!
AC Milan had turned the match around!
"Hahaha! I knew it! I knew it!"
"Milan are brilliant!"
"Shame Roma are also winning 2-1 against Lazio right now though! What a pity! Hopefully Lazio can dig deep and get an equaliser!"
With AC Milan now in the lead, the atmosphere on the Feng Fans Hub was visibly growing more electric!
In the 80th minute, Bonaventura scored directly from a free kick, making it 3-1!
Leon did not go up to join the celebrations this time!
Bonaventura had done his job beautifully on his own!
In the second half, Leon was clearly benefiting from the 30% boost to his defensive rating as well, making his goalkeeping look completely impenetrable!
Atalanta posed no further threat to the goal Leon was guarding!
3-1!
AC Milan claimed all three points away from home!
They kept alive the possibility of overtaking Roma in the table!
Roma ultimately also won their away match, beating Lazio 2-1!
The battle for second place in the table would now be settled on the final matchday!