January 18, 2004 — AS Roma vs. AC Milan
The morning of the match was crisp and cloudless, Rome painted in winter gold. Stadio Olimpico shimmered in the early light, its steel bones breathing anticipation. Luca Bellini stood at his hotel window, headphones in, the city alive beneath him. The Colosseum wasn't far. The monuments, the forums, the ancient stones — all reminders of a past where battles were carved into legend.
Today would be his modern battlefield.
Roma stood second. Milan were first.
But only by a single point.
This was no longer just a match. It was a collision of titans.
—
In the team bus, silence reigned.
Nesta read a newspaper folded perfectly down the middle. Gattuso tapped his foot. Shevchenko stared out the window.
Kaká leaned toward Luca. "They'll come at us like fire. We answer with steel."
Luca nodded. "And calm."
Maldini, up front, stood as the bus pulled into the underground entrance. "Eyes open. Focus tight. This is what we live for."
—
Inside the visitors' dressing room, Ancelotti paced. "They want to play emotion. We play shape. Discipline. We keep our heads — we win."
He pointed to the board.
Milan's 4-3-1-2 remained: Dida in goal; Maldini at left back, Bellini and Nesta central, Cafu at right back. Pirlo sat deepest in midfield, flanked by Seedorf and Gattuso, with Kaká again pulling strings behind Shevchenko and Inzaghi.
Roma countered with a potent 4-2-3-1: Pelizzoli in goal; Panucci, Samuel, Chivu, and Candela in defense. Emerson and Dacourt screened the backline. Totti, Mancini, and Cassano orchestrated behind lone striker Carew.
The media called it a title decider.
—
As the players warmed up under a stadium thick with color, Luca's ears rang with boos. The Curva Sud unfurled a banner:
"Rome fears no walls."
He smirked. "Let's give them something to write about."
—
Kickoff.
Immediate fire.
Minute 2: Roma surged forward. Mancini skinned Cafu down the flank. Cross whipped in. Carew rose. Dida saved — barely.
Minute 4: Totti drove forward. Pirlo intercepted. Counter.
Minute 6: Kaká's pass fed Inzaghi. Blocked.
This was war.
—
Minute 12: chaos. Cassano weaved past two. Curled a shot — Luca stretched, blocked it with his thigh. Cleared.
Minute 14: Roma corner. Totti to deliver.
High, driven.
Samuel rose — but Luca matched him. Collision mid-air. Ball glanced away.
—
Minute 21: Milan's first true chance.
Seedorf split two defenders. Played it wide to Cafu. Low cross.
Inzaghi flicked it — saved.
Rebound spilled.
Kaká lunged.
GOAL.
0–1 Milan.
He slid into the corner, arms wide. The bench erupted.
Luca bumped shoulders with Kaká. "One of those nights."
—
But Roma didn't falter.
Minute 29: Totti from range. Bar.
Minute 33: Emerson volley — Dida saved.
Minute 36: Chivu's long ball over the top. Carew beat the offside.
Nesta chased. So did Luca.
Carew entered the box. Shot coming.
Luca slid from the blind side. Perfect. Ball only. Crowd howled. Ref waved play on.
Commentator: "The kid reads danger like a novel. Page by page."
—
Halftime.
1–0 Milan.
Breathing was heavy. Sweat ran like ink.
Ancelotti said little.
"You've silenced them once. Now bury them."
—
Second half.
Roma came with blood.
Minute 49: Mancini hit the post.
Minute 51: Cafu cleared off the line.
Minute 55: corner Milan.
Pirlo trotted over. Whispered something to Luca.
The delivery came fast. Luca sprinted off the near post — broke free — leapt.
Header — like thunder.
GOAL.
0–2.
The bench roared.
Kaká leapt onto Luca's back. Gattuso punched the air.
"HE'S A DAMN TOWER!" screamed the commentator. "BELLINI WITH A STONE-CRUSHING HEADER!"
The stadium groaned.
—
Roma cracked.
Minute 62: Seedorf danced. Passed to Kaká.
Kaká curled — just wide.
Minute 69: substitution — Ambrosini for Gattuso.
Minute 73: Nesta and Luca intercepted a final long ball. Totti dropped deeper. Roma faded.
Minute 78: Shevchenko nearly made it three.
Minute 85: Carew's final header — wide.
Minute 90.
Full time.
0–2.
Silence.
—
Milan embraced. Maldini pulled Luca into a hug.
"You were a wall and a hammer."
Luca smiled.
Outside the tunnel, reporters swarmed.
One headline would go viral:
"ROME BOWS TO THE WALL — Bellini's Header Breaks the Capital."
Player ratings:
LUCA BELLINI — 9.5
Defensive perfection. One of the best headers of the season. Man of the Match.
—
Later that evening, in a quiet trattoria near the hotel, Luca sat with Sofia and Kaká.
Sofia raised her glass. "To walls. And wins."
Kaká added, "And to headers that echo through history."
Luca clinked glasses. But said little.
He was smiling too much to speak.
—
Back in his room, he wrote in his journal:
January 18 — Rome.
They feared no walls.
Now they know one.
I belong.