The world had turned into a nightmare of red and black.
The roar of the AC Milan fans was a physical blow, a sound of pure ecstasy that hammered down on the frozen Inter players.
4-3. To a team with ten men.
On the pitch, the Milan players were in a delirious pile of limbs, celebrating as if they had already won the league.
On the Inter bench, substitutes stared blankly, their faces pale with shock. On the sideline, Coach Cristian Chivu kicked a water bottle with such force that it exploded, spraying water over his assistant.
He was screaming, but his voice was lost in the pandemonium.
Despair was a virus, spreading rapidly through the Inter ranks.
Heads dropped. Shoulders slumped. Lautaro Martínez, the captain, stood with his hands on his hips, his face a mask of disbelief. How had this happened? They had a man advantage, a lead, and they had thrown it all away.
