His manager's words were probably ringing in his ear as the ball left his boot.
Gustav Isaksen hadn't had the best of times at Lazio. The Italian side had bet on his potential when they bought the Danish international from FC Midtjylland last year, but could only get into Maurizio Sarri's side due to others being injured. Igor Tudor came in and completely shunted him aside, and Isaksen was on the verge of a move to Celtic this summer before calling it off and opting to fight under Lazio's new boss, Marco Baroni.
Baroni's overseen a stunning transformation in the club - dealing with the departure of talismanic striker Ciro Immobile by bringing in youth and forging a system that made the whole greater than the sum of its parts. Lazio went on a seven-match winning streak that put them firmly in the Serie A title race, before stumbling in a loss against Parma. Isaksen could have turned the game in his side's favour then, but failed to convert, prompting his manager to throw down the gauntlet at his feet before a crucial title clash against Napoli.
"He can be more decisive, he knows it too. He played a good game against Parma. He had a chance that he should have buried. He has quality, I am convinced that he can make the "click" that can make all the difference in terms of scoring."
Click? Decisive? 78 minutes into a tight contest against Napoli that is swinging both ways, Isaksen finally gets his chance.
Tijjani Noslin has the ball behind the halfway line and has three Napoli players bearing down on him. Lazio are beginning a transition, but no player is ahead or even level with Noslin. Isaksen spies that his teammate has no outlet and begins making his run, on the right side of the pitch.
Stanislav Lobotka meanwhile is doing precisely what a defensive midfielder in an Antonio Conte team is supposed to be doing. He gets tight to Noslin, and makes a nuisance of himself, only for Lazio's Dutch attacker to shrug him off like he doesn't exist. Noslin leaves Lobotka behind and looks up. There's only one pass available to him - Isaksen is making a lung-busting run forward. Everyone on the pitch knows what Noslin is about to do.
The Dutchman isn't going to be hurried, he takes the time to measure his pass and despite four men in Neapolitan blue converging on him, the ball emanates from his foot with the perfect angle and pace. By the time the ball has left his boot and is in the air, Noslin is clattered into by two Napoli players, but it matters not, his job is done.
Isaksen, though, still has plenty to do. Nilson's cross-field diagonal perfectly evades Mathias Olivera and bounces past him, allowing the Dane to collect the ball first. Napoli's left-back has put too much forward momentum in attempting to get to the ball and is left for dead when Isaksen shifts the ball inside on his left foot with his first touch.
The crowd in the Maradona stadium goes silent for a half-second. Isaksen takes another touch to steady himself, as the ball travels along the line of the penalty box. Olivera senses he can get back to stop the shot and dives to block it. Too late. The Danish winger barely waits after his second touch and lets it fly with his third.
The ball rockets of his laces, past the despairing dive of Alex Meret in the Napoli goal and even the rain from the heavens can't stop it from thundering into the top corner. The Maradona is stunned, Meret gestures to the sky in anguish, ten men in black Lazio shirts converge on the goal-scorer knee-sliding in the pouring rain - Isaksen has just answered his manager's call with a decisive finish.
Of course he would, because Isaksen had previously noted how Baroni's style of management has allowed him to flourish, saying "I need a coach to talk to me and tell me what to do. The first two managers I had (Sarri and Tudor) did not communicate so much. Now with Baroni I talk a lot - he comes to me after every game and tells me what I did wrong and what I did good. I think I need this kind of relationship; it gives me a sense of security and allows me to grow. Under Baroni, at Lazio we now wonder if we can win a trophy."
With his goal, Lazio's fans are surely dreaming of that scenario. Isaksen's goal meant Lazio beat Napoli twice in four days and stayed within three points of leaders Atalanta in a tightly contested Serie A title race. The Dane wasn't even born the last time Lazio won the Scudetto but is playing an instrumental part in his club's fight to win a third title in their 124-year history.
For rising to the occasion, for being decisive with an outrageous piece of skill, Gustav Isaksen takes our Moment of the Week.