In the second half, AC Milan, now fuelled by the Accumulate team trait, came out with noticeably greater attacking force.
A scoreline of one nil still carried some uncertainty.
But two nil or three nil would not.
In the 56th minute, a massive gap opened up in Torino's back three.
Suso drove forward down the left with nobody to stop him and cut straight into the penalty area.
Torino defender Damian had no choice but to bring him down.
Penalty.
Suso stepped up himself and converted cleanly, making it two nil.
In the 74th minute, Suso received the ball outside the penalty area once more and struck a lofted shot immediately.
"Whoosh!"
The ball hit the back of the net again.
Three nil.
AC Milan were firmly in control.
"Nearly there, nearly there!"
"Ten minutes left and AC Milan have this won! It all comes down to Roma now! What's happening over there?"
"Still nil-one! Roma are losing! Oh no! Totti has scored!"
Every single fan in the Leon Fan Hub had switched their stream to the Roma versus Palermo match.
The outcome of the AC Milan and Torino match was already settled.
Seeing Totti's goal level the score at one apiece, the fans immediately grew anxious.
With five minutes left, if Roma scored again, everything would be for nothing.
"Come on Palermo, hold firm!"
"You have to hold on!"
"Right, next season Milan need to take control from the very start! Depending on other results like this is agony!"
"Five minutes of stoppage time! That's way too generous to the home side! The referee's up to something!"
After watching the clock finally tick over to the 90th minute, the fans suddenly saw five minutes of stoppage time added.
That was outrageous.
Were they determined to let Roma score again or what?
In the 95th minute, a goal was indeed scored.
But it was not Roma who scored it. It was Palermo.
Palermo's attacking midfielder Vázquez played a long ball from deep that sent striker Belotti clean through on goal.
Roma had pushed everyone except the goalkeeper forward into Palermo's half.
Roma's goalkeeper Skorupski had none of Leon's ability when it came to stopping a one-on-one.
Belotti struck it cleanly and the ball went straight in.
Skorupski was utterly helpless.
One-two.
Roma had lost this crucial match at home.
"Ha! I'm dying! This is too funny!"
"Did Roma bring this on themselves?"
"Five minutes of stoppage time and they end up getting sucker-punched!"
"Palermo: thanks to the referee for giving us the chance to score the winner!"
The fans were in tremendous spirits.
At that moment, the AC Milan versus Torino match had also come to an end.
The scoreline had not changed, finishing at three nil.
In the final ten minutes, AC Milan had been coasting.
After all, both clubs' owners were sitting in the stands together, so there was no need to make things look ugly.
That was just how things worked.
People who watch football generally fall into two camps: those who bet and those who are fans.
In the eyes of bettors, every match is manipulated.
It does not quite work like that.
The game is played at a far more sophisticated level.
Through adjustments to match regulations and control over how strictly the rules are enforced, it is entirely possible to steer a match toward a desired outcome.
Take VAR, for instance. When it gets used and when it does not is entirely down to the referee.
Direct interference and outright match-fixing?
That is essentially unheard of in the top five leagues.
But a gentleman's agreement, shaped by relationships and mutual understanding? That absolutely exists.
"We've won!"
After being alerted by assistant coach Tassotti on the touchline, Inzaghi suddenly sprinted straight onto the pitch.
Roma's defeat meant AC Milan had finished the season in second place in Serie A.
Direct entry into the Champions League.
After a season away, AC Milan were back on the Champions League stage.
The highest level of club football in the top five leagues.
Inzaghi at that moment looked nothing like a head coach, and everything like a player who had returned to his playing days.
He was sprinting across the pitch.
Torino head coach Ventura watched Inzaghi with an expression of complete bewilderment, wondering if he could at least try to act like a manager.
'Am I just getting old?'
Ventura shook his head, straightened his tie, and walked back to the dressing room.
'The Champions League.'
'Cristiano.'
'Messi.'
A fierce competitive fire blazed in Leon's eyes.
Serie A had genuinely declined over the years.
The Champions League was where the highest level of football was played.
Leon resolved that this summer he would train without letting up for a single moment.
When the new season began, he was going to face everyone in a far stronger state than before.
With the final round of fixtures concluded, Serie A officially came to a close.
AC Milan finished the season on 68 points, in second place in the Serie A table.
For an ordinary supporter, that result would seem perfectly normal.
AC Milan's reputation as a giant of the game was still intact, and a finish like that would feel like standard business to most.
But those who truly understood what this AC Milan side had gone through this season would know just how remarkable second place really was.
Even without winning the title, in the hearts of the fans, AC Milan were on the road back to the summit.
"Come on, the Serie A awards are about to be announced!"
In a lounge at Milanello, a group of young players had gathered together.
Milanello's facilities were extremely well appointed, and the lounge had a large screen that could be used to watch matches directly.
There were also several high-spec computers available for players to use in their downtime.
Hachim Mastour, Cutrone, Francesco, and Leon were all in the lounge at that moment.
Hachim Mastour had wanted to find somewhere more entertaining, but Leon, the earnest one, only ever had his head down doing extra training.
After running a few laps with Leon, the three of them had come to the lounge together.
"Er... Serie A Player of the Year: Tevez!"
"Fair enough! Tevez did have a brilliant season at Juventus! But I don't think he ever scored against Leon, did he!"
"If you ask me, Player of the Year should have gone to Leon!"
Hachim Mastour was scrolling through the official Serie A website and commenting casually as he went.
"Coach of the Year: Allegri!"
"Rubbish! It should have gone to our manager Inzaghi!"
"Defender of the Year: Bonucci!"
"Francesco! Go and challenge for that one next season!"
Hachim Mastour had turned into a pundit, rattling off his opinions freely and throwing in a mention of Francesco for good measure.
"Hachim! That's going to be tough for me!"
"I don't even know if I'll get into the first team next season!"
Francesco had an earnest, guileless look on his face as he scratched his head.
"You muppet! I was joking and you took it seriously!"
"You think you're Leon or something!"
"Right! Here's the big one!"
"Goalkeeper of the Year! Who is it?"
"No way! Leon! Leon! It's you!"
Hachim Mastour suddenly leapt to his feet, startling everyone else.
"Hachim! Is that real? Is it actually Leon?"
Francesco and Cutrone both rushed over to look.
"It is! It's real! Leon! You're the Goalkeeper of the Year! Ha!"
The lounge erupted in celebration.
Leon broke into a smile as well.
Not bad at all.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host! You have been awarded the Serie A Best Goalkeeper! A new talent draw is now available.]
[Ding! This is the Host's first award. Talent draw quality is doubled.]
[Ding! Draw successful! Congratulations, Host! You have obtained the talent: Golden Eye!]
[Golden Eye]: Allows the user to view a player's attributes and playing tendencies.