The road to godhood starting from Ligue 1

Chapter 128 Thunder and drums explode, rainstorm tears the curtain

It is raining heavily in Donetsk tonight.

Accompanied by thunder.

At one point, many fans were worried that the game would be postponed, but it finally opened as scheduled.

In this kind of weather, it is bound to be a tough battle for England, Sweden, France and Ukraine compared to the Olympic Stadium in Kyiv.

Twenty minutes ago, the French team's starting lineup was announced, which has already triggered a series of discussions.

Blanco’s use of players is too bold!

Gaio started as right winger.

Giroud replaced Benzema as the starting center forward.

These two changes left French fans a little confused for a while. Isn't this too bold in using players?
TF1 commentator: "We know that Gaio has strength and talent, but is Blanco being too radical in letting a 17-year-old start in a game that is crucial to the team's promotion?
I believe that Gaio may be able to play a better role as a substitute.

Currently, various media outlets are reporting that Blanc may be disheartened and will not renew his contract with the French Football Federation after the internal strife. Could this lineup also have this impact?

As for French fans, they are divided into three factions: the opposition, the supporters, and the indifferent ones.

Most of the opposition shared the same opinion as the commentators, believing that Gaio had no top-level league experience and might stall in such an important match.

Most of the supporters come from Corsica.

Especially Bastia.

Some Bastia people who originally did not plan to watch this game changed their minds after learning that Gaio would start.

They all turned on the TV impatiently.

Afraid of missing a single second of footage of Gaio.

Sunset Cafe Bistro.

Full again.

"Geo, crush them! Show these doubters your strength and shut them up!"

"He's starting! Well done to Blanco, it seems he has good vision and knows Gaio's ability."

"We have to win! With this starting match, if we advance to the knockout stage, Gaio will definitely have more opportunities. International competitions like this are rare training opportunities for young people. I believe that with this kind of competition experience, Gaio will improve again next season!"

"We have to win! I was just charging down the stretch and about to score when a message popped up on your phone saying Gaio was starting. I grabbed my clothes and was about to go out to watch the game, but your sister-in-law grabbed my jersey and asked, 'Who blows the whistle quicker than me?'"

"Hahaha!"

Boom!

Thunder and lightning sounded over the Donetsk Donbass Stadium.

In the heavy rain, fans from both teams sang cheering songs tirelessly, and the sound of the rain complemented each other.

The players waited in the tunnel.

Referee Kuppers looked at the rain outside the tunnel and made some assessment in his mind. When the playing time came, he led the players out of the field.

boom!
Boom boom! !
The host country Ukraine has a very obvious home advantage. As soon as the players entered the field, they could hear the roar of Ukrainian fans.

But when the French team came on the field.

The French fans also cheered in the stadium.

among them.

The fans in Corsica seemed the most enthusiastic.

They chanted Gaio's name.

When others were full of doubts about Gaio, they saw no right or wrong, no rational analysis, only absolute support.

"Geo!!"

Hearing the sound coming from the stands next to the tunnel, Gaio turned around and waved to the fans.

The fan was so excited that he jumped up and down.

soon.

The players stood on the court for the opening ceremony.

Gaio felt the raindrops falling on his body and face, and the cold feeling was freezing his body.

He felt his body stiffen slightly.

but,

The excitement of making his first start for the national team made the blood boil under his skin and flow through his veins.

In the stands.

Fans were waiting for the game to start in raincoats, and many legendary stars came to the stadium boxes.

The most eye-catching person is naturally Zidane.

This also reminds most fans of Zidane's comments on Gaio, which even makes people wonder whether Gaio is Zidane's chosen "successor to Zidane"?

The so-called successor does not necessarily have to play the same position or play in the same way.

But status.

On the field.

The match ended when French captain Lloris and Ukrainian captain Shevchenko chose sides.

Referee Kuppers soon blew the opening whistle.

The game officially begins!
Ukraine kicks off.

Gaio was active in his own right area, and it was not his turn to defend. He was just retreating and waiting for an opportunity.

On the Ukrainian side, the 4231 arranged by "Golden Arrow" Blokhin put Shevchenko at the forefront.

As the Ballon d'Or winner in 2004, Shevchenko was undoubtedly powerful in his prime.

But now he is 35 years old.

Since returning to play for Dynamo Kyiv in 2009, he has basically withdrawn from the mainstream football scene and is preparing to retire.

If Ukraine was not the host, the name Sheva might have long been hidden deep in the fans' memories and never mentioned again.

The moment he stepped onto the field wearing the yellow jersey, the strings deep in the hearts of countless people were plucked.

Along with it comes sadness. Since ancient times, beauties are like famous generals, who are not allowed to grow old in the world.

This year's European Cup in Poland and Ukraine was the swan song of his career.

So he hopes that his career can have one more game, one more game.

The rain gradually became heavier.

Shevchenko had almost no chance as he was double-teamed by French center backs Mexès and Rami.

He works very hard.

But now, his individual combat capability has declined and he desperately needs support from his teammates.

The Ukrainian players are far behind the French team.

Shevchenko is a little lonely.

The French team pressed very hard. Although Ukraine's starting formation was 4-2-3-1, the two flanks quickly retreated and took up defensive positions.

soon.

The ball came to Gaio's feet.

He advanced from the right, but as soon as he dribbled the ball he discovered that the rain had a greater impact on technical players.

The ball doesn't follow my feet.

slippery.

When he tried to change direction and pass the opponent, the ball slipped out of his foot's control.

The ball was intercepted.

Ukrainian midfielder Voronin immediately made a long pass to find the fulcrum in front, Shevchenko.

Behind Shevchenko, Yarmolenko and Nazarenko quickly followed up, intending to fight for the second point.

This is Blokhin's tactic tonight.

Shevchenko is a fulcrum, not a explosive point.

The football is slippery on rainy days, and the change in weight after it gets wet makes passing the ball a little difficult to control.

Voronin did not pass the ball to Shevchenko.

The ball was controlled by Diarra.

Diarra passed the ball forward, Nasri retreated to receive the ball, and the French team's attack advanced layer by layer.

Nasri saw the space on Gaio's side, but thought about it and passed the ball to Ribery.

However, Nasri did not control the strength of the pass well, it was too light, and the speed of the ball slowed down quickly.

Instead, it gave Ribery a difficult situation.

Ribery was caught off guard chasing the ball, lost his footing, and slipped. He stood up and wiped the rain from his face, feeling a little annoyed.

Fortunately, Ukraine played a high-altitude attack and did not have a reliable passer, so they did not pose any threat to the French team.

France controlled the ball.

The ball was lobbed several times into the penalty area, Giroud competed for the header, and Nasri had a shot from the outside, but it was missed.

Gaio got the ball, but he hasn't succeeded in passing anyone yet.

When he received the ball, he did not force his way forward, but passed it back to his teammates, mainly because he had not yet adapted to the slippery football.

Time keeps passing.

The rain is getting heavier.

The TF1 commentator watched the opening seven minutes and said, "This match is a bit difficult for the French team. Their technical advantage is being hindered by the heavy rain. And the rain is getting heavier."

Wow!

Just as the commentator was speaking, the fans at the scene exclaimed.

Gaio got the ball, and his perfect sense of the ball helped him quickly become familiar with controlling the football.

Facing Voronin's pressure.

A simple through-the-crotch shot, accelerating past Voronin.

The fans of Bastia all smiled slightly, "Gio still can't forget the crotch shot."

After Gaio intercepted the ball, he quickly moved forward.

Boom!

At this moment, thunder and lightning erupted above the stadium, startling the fans on the scene.

The female fans, in particular, shrank their necks and were a little frightened by the sudden thunder.

There are a lot of female football fans in Ukraine. After all, Ukraine has a developed traditional industry, and practitioners are taking advantage of the popularity of the European Cup to make money day and night.

Both UEFA and Ukrainian officials acquiesced to this matter.

The official attitude also caused verbal protests from the feminist organization FEMEN, which criticized the Ukrainian officials for legalizing this matter.

However, the occasional FEMEN protest members who appeared were quickly arrested by the police.

On the field,

The players did not relax because of the thunder.

Gaio's quick forward movement aroused the vigilance of the Ukrainian defenders. Blokhin carefully studied the French team's forwards.

Gaio's dribbling ability is the focus of research.

In particular, Gaio scored the winning goal against England within three minutes of coming on in the first group match.

Blokhin believes that Gaio is likely to play in this game.

However, he never expected that Gaio would be the starter!

Nasri saw Gio break through and quickly ran to the open space. He pointed his finger towards himself, signaling Gio to pass the ball to him quickly.

I have a chance here.

But Gaio did not pass the ball, but rushed towards Ukraine's left-back Serin.

It rained heavily.

Nasri was a little anxious in the rain. Isn't this just a blind call?! What can you do in this rainy day?!

But the next moment, Nasri was stunned.

Does this work too?
Gaio's footwork didn't change. He just paused and lowered his shoulders, and Serin was tricked out of balance. On such a rainy day, when Serin saw that Gaio didn't change direction and wanted to push off the ground to defend, his foot slipped.

After standing up a little awkwardly, Gaio rushed into the penalty area.

If you don't see Gaio's movements clearly, it would look like Serin slipped and fell to the ground when he saw Gaio rushing towards him.

In the Sunset Cafe.

The fans laughed loudly, "This big Eastern European guy must have been scared silly by Gaio!"

"Gaio is really good at controlling the ball, and although he made some mistakes at the beginning, it seems that he has adapted to playing in the rain."

"It has to be Gaio, the legend of Bastia! Break their defense, we're going to advance!"

"It must be raining, otherwise these big guys would have been knocked unconscious by Gaio. Apart from committing fouls, they can't stop Gaio!"

This scene also made the fans at the scene exclaim.

Gaio's ability to dribble is really strong!
Mbappé was originally excited to see Gaio start, but this goal made him feel a little depressed. "How can I learn from this?"

He is determined to learn Gaio's dribbling skills.

But he can't learn the movements that Gaio is performing now!
Zidane in the stands nodded slightly, his eyes fixed on Gaio, wanting to see his next choice.

On the field.

Gaion cut into the penalty area and was already looking up at the position of goalkeeper Piatov.

This kind of game in heavy rain is not suitable for forwards to control the ball, but it is also extremely disadvantageous for goalkeepers.

Wet and slippery conditions, unpredictable ball trajectories, and slipping out of the hands are all fatal!

Central defender Khacheridi and defensive midfielder Tymoshchuk both rushed towards Gaio.

For most players, even the head coach, they would choose to pass the ball at this time.

There is an open space for your teammate, so the best option is to give it to him.

The safest choice.

But Gaio thought of what Zidane had said to him: "Remember, when you are confident enough to break through the defense, you can still lock onto your teammates' positions with your peripheral vision. That is the demeanor of a football king."

Zidane wants to teach Gaio what it means to play like a king of football.

That's not loneliness, that's confidence!
Gaio also saw the opportunity and continued to run.

Blanco on the sidelines was a little worried when he saw Gaio's choice. As the head coach, he must have seen that Nasri and Giroud were in better positions.

Gaio should have passed the ball.

But he didn't pass it.

There was already water on the grass in the penalty area, so Gaio chose to force a breakthrough.

What he saw was the space that appeared between Khacheridi and Tymoshchuk as they hurriedly filled in. If he cut in, he would have a one-on-one chance with the goalkeeper!

And because of the positioning of Giroud and Nasri, the defense against him was not that resolute.

They all seemed to think he could pass the ball.

Gaio didn't hesitate.

He rushed to the gap between the two players with the ball. While moving, he turned his head and looked at Nasri. This look gave Tymoshchuk an illusion.

Tymoshchuk did not follow up immediately.

Gaio took a sudden step forward, activated his Fury, and collided heavily with Hatcheridi who rushed up to defend him.

Both of them stumbled.

Gaio supported himself on the ground with his hands, and his enhanced flexibility allowed him to not lose control of the football in this situation.

Piatov rushed over to grab the ball.

But Gaio hooked the ball while half-standing up, avoiding Piatov, and then stood up and made an awkward-looking shot.

The empty goal was scored!

The ball went in!
Wow!

The fans at the scene were stunned for a moment, and the Ukrainian fans frowned.

Is this a lost ball?
The French fans cheered excitedly, and the Bastia fans were even more enthusiastic.

"Geo!!"

This is the way they are most familiar with, Gaio's way of scoring goals - the ultimate ball control ability, always so incredible!

They reveled wildly, their hot blood dispelling the cold on a rainy night, and they madly shouted Gaio's name.

In the heavy rain, the Donbass Stadium was filled with the roar of French fans.

After Gaio scored the goal, he turned and rushed towards the corner flag area, slid on his knees, and created two rows of splashes.

As he glided, he roared and opened his arms!

Boom!

Thunder rumbled over the stadium at this moment.

The reporter at the corner flag was stunned. He pressed the shutter button hard, leaving behind a picture that shocked him.

Gaio slid down on his knees, and heavy rain fell on his blue clothes, splashing everywhere. The sky was filled with lightning, which enhanced the whole picture at this moment.

Under the thunder and lightning, Gaio was like a god descended to the earth!
(End of this chapter)