The road to godhood starting from Ligue 1

Chapter 195 The Strongest Fourth-Tier Team
drop!
The game continues.

Less than five minutes into the regular match, Viktoria Plzeň kicked off and quickly launched an attack down the flank.

Playing at home, it's understandable that they find this result hard to accept.

Even with a slight decline in physical fitness, they still mustered all their strength to fight for a draw.

After Bastia scored, they did not dare to relax and continued to defend in a low position.

Lukaku and Gai also dropped back to help with the defense.

Bang!
Facing Bastia's solid defense, Horvath unleashed a long-range shot from outside the penalty area.

But after all, she's 37, not 27.

The shot from long range was a bit weak, and Novis easily caught the ball as he rushed out.

Novus fell to the ground.

Fans at Doosan Stadium shook their heads at the sight, with the scoreboard replacing the football as the most eye-catching feature.

Viktoria Plzeň fans watched intently, wondering how much time was left.

They need another goal.

Just one goal is needed!
The Viktoria Plzeň players were well aware that they should immediately press Norvis after he kicked off.

Gaio glanced at Viktoria Plzeň's defensive line.

It's been put on a very high note.

He moved forward to the midfield line, while De Bruyne kept observing the situation on the field.

A good midfielder should have a head that shakes back and forth like a fan.

To see this, you can observe Xavi and Pirlo playing, whether they have the ball or not.

Therefore,
When Kanté passed the ball to De Bruyne, he immediately launched a long ball!
The football flew towards Gaio's front side.

Gaio has already started ahead of schedule.

Although he was positioned further forward than Viktoria Plzeň's defensive line after the victory, he did not cross the center line.

This passing and running combination stunned the TF1 commentators.

"Oh my god! The passing and movement between Gaio and De Bruyne was absolutely perfect! Gaio got the ball, there was a huge gap in front of him, and Lukaku was making his run down the middle. Viktoria Plzeň's defenders were clearly struggling to keep up."

Doosan Arena fell silent.

Their gazes were silent.

All of it was focused on Gaio.

At Sunset Cafe, the only sound was the narration on the TV. Everyone held their glasses, staring intently at the screen, their eyes following the camera and Gaio.

I was afraid of missing even the slightest detail.

Kozacic didn't know what to do. Gai came up with the ball, but Lukaku was also open!

He stood in front of the goal like a prisoner about to be executed.

At a loss.

Waiting for the ending.

All the Bastia substitutes stood on the sidelines, each with their hands raised to their chests, waiting for cheers.

Clenching my fists, I waited anxiously.

call!
Gaio sprinted all the way, his stamina rapidly declining. As he approached the penalty area, he glanced at Lukaku's position.

Kozacic saw that Lukaku was unmarked, and his main concern was preventing Gaio from crossing. After all, in such a one-on-one situation, he would have to make a decision quickly and take a gamble.

Bang!
In that instant, Gaio unleashed a powerful left-footed shot as he moved forward, sending the ball flying into the near corner.

Swish!
When Kozacic made his diving save, the ball was already in the net.

hiss~
The Viktoria Plzeň fans in the stadium gasped; they knew what that meant.

When Gaio saw the goal, he didn't celebrate wildly; he simply lowered his head and raised his right hand in a wave.

2-4.

The game-winning goal.

His teammates rushed over to celebrate with Gaio, their tired faces beaming with relieved smiles.

"pretty!!"

In front of the substitutes' bench, the players erupted in cheers, waving their arms in celebration.

They hugged each other.

The Viktoria Plzen players stood dejectedly on the field, hands on their hips, looking at the scoreboard.

The 2-4 scoreline was particularly glaring.

The time that followed left them feeling even more helpless.

Three minutes of added time.

There were less than two minutes left.

Projasca, who was chasing back, couldn't hold on for the last two steps and fell to the ground, burying his head in the grass.

Goalkeeper Kozacic came over, patted him on the shoulder, and comforted him.

At Doosan Stadium, some young fans had tears welling up in their eyes.

But she pursed her lips, determined not to let the tears fall.

Hagi Begic and Chatham both breathed a sigh of relief; the game had been incredibly close.

Fortunately, we have Gaião, Lukaku, and De Bruyne. This proves that the summer transfer window's recruitment efforts were absolutely phenomenal.

When Chatham returned to the bench, he was still raising his arms in celebration.

The team still has weaknesses.

The defense and the goalkeeper position.

Thinking about the defense, Chatham even wished he were twenty years younger so he could play center back.

Back then, he was at least a fringe player for the French national team.

As for the goalkeeper position.

Chatham is thinking about the young Arsenal goalkeeper that Gaio mentioned; maybe he could give him a try in the winter transfer window?

However, it's not October yet, there are still more than two months left. Whether the team will make any signings in the winter transfer window depends entirely on their performance in the first half of the season.

If the team can reach the Europa League knockout stage, they will naturally have the confidence to continue their pursuit with loans.

Chatham glanced at Gaio, who was waiting to kick off in the center circle, and considered asking Gaio if he had any defensive players to recommend.

Ideally, we should also bring over two more strong center-backs from Chelsea.

Lukaku and De Bruyne have truly given Chatham a taste of success.

The match continued.

But Bastia was already in a frenzy of celebration—

"Fight, Bastia!!"

"Reclaim the championship we lost forty-four years ago!"

They only won one game.

But fans have already started dreaming of winning the Europa League, and that's the confidence Bastia is giving them right now.

Seeing Gai, De Bruyne, Kanté, and every player who steps up in the game, it's hard not to have confidence.

drop! !

Two minutes later.

The referee blew the final whistle.

The Viktoria Plzen players collapsed to the ground, their eyes filled with the dejection of having given their all but not achieving the result they had hoped for.

But that's just how football is.

Effort does not guarantee a reward.

sometimes,
The same is true in life.

On a road with no end in sight, you can only run headlong, and more often than not, you can only stop and look around blankly.

That's how the Viktoria Plzeň players feel right now.

Europa League,
They expect to go further, but as a second-tier team, they can't score against fourth-tier teams.

In the matches to come, they had no way out.

Every single one of them is a life-or-death battle!
The away section of Doosan Stadium erupted in cheers, chanting "BA-STI-A!"

After the game, De Bruyne did not celebrate with his teammates immediately, but instead went to the team doctor and said, "Take Gaio to get his shoulder checked quickly."

He had been worried about Gaio's shoulder injury. Gaio hadn't shown any outstanding ability in the final minutes, and De Bruyne knew this was because the shoulder injury was still affecting his performance.

The team doctor found Gaio, but Gaio insisted on thanking the traveling fans before undergoing any examinations or treatment.

The TF1 commentator lamented at the end of the match, "Bastia has completely burned out this time. I don't know if they will make significant changes to their lineup when they face Metz in the French League Cup three days later, but these two matches show that Bastia's starting lineup is indeed good. But can their weak bench support them through the long season?"
Regardless of the outcome, this match proved that Bastia is definitely the strongest fourth-tier team in the Europa League!
Everyone is saying Liverpool is in the group of death, but in fact, Bastia's group might be the real group of death.

After the draw, most people thought Atletico Madrid and Viktoria Plzeň would advance together, as they were the only two teams in the group to have played in the Champions League. But now that the match is over, I think it's not so certain who will advance.

Not only did Bastia fans cheer for the match, but some French fans also applauded Bastia's performance.

However, one person was unhappy.

Didier.

After watching the entire match, he had already decided to include Kanté in the next national team roster, which was a positive step.

But Gaio got injured again!

During the international break in October, the French team will soon face Spain.

The toughest opponent in the World Cup qualifiers group stage!
As a result, France's strongest player got injured at this crucial moment?

Now he just hopes that Gaio won't be seriously injured.

They should be able to make it to the World Cup qualifiers.

After the match, he immediately sent a message to the national team doctor, asking him to contact Bastia to find out about Gaio's injury.

If Bastia is unable to handle the situation promptly, Gaio can be taken to the Clairefontaine National Team Medical Center for treatment.

Deschamps repeatedly emphasized that Gaio must not suffer any long-term effects.

Simultaneously,

He harbored some resentment towards Haji Begitch. Who was it that taught him "this is how to use Gaio" last time, only to turn around and force Gaio, who was already injured, to take the stage?

Deschamps curled his lip. Haji Begic said so much, but isn't he just like him, only able to rely on Gaio in crucial moments?
It's just the pot calling the kettle black.

Haji Begić had no idea that Deschamps was cursing him in his heart at that moment.

He is giving a post-match interview.

He told reporters, "It was a miraculous night. We came back from two down to win four straight and secured our first European victory in over forty years. It was no easy feat, especially considering that this match came just three days after our league game against PSG."

We gave it our all in the last game, and we will give it our all in this game as well.

I am proud of my players. Many of them were already exhausted by the 70th minute, but they still persevered.

Gaião was already injured, and his old injury flared up in this match, but he still managed to score two goals.

I don't want to praise this kind of difficulty, because it's not a good thing and doesn't deserve praise.

I want to commend my players for their fighting spirit in the face of these difficulties.

Yes, difficulties are never something to be celebrated; what is always worthy of celebration is humanity.

The reporter then asked, "Bastia has two more games this month. Can the team maintain this fighting spirit?"

Hagi Bejic replied, "We also have substitutes who will step up. Every player on our team is a fighter and will give everything for victory."

the other side,
Furba looked displeased and, when interviewed by reporters, repeatedly said, "We shouldn't have given Bastia that opportunity; our defense made a mistake."

He added, "Bastia has a group of good players, many of whom are impressive. I look forward to the next leg at Bastia's home ground. This match will give us a lot of inspiration, and hopefully we can find a way to beat Bastia in the next leg."

Now, we need to focus on the league and continue fighting for Champions League qualification next season.

In the locker room.

The Bastia players were too tired to say much.

Two consecutive high-intensity matches.

It burned completely out.

After returning to the locker room, Gaio sat for a while before taking a shower and changing his clothes.

He glanced at the winning points while taking a shower.

25.

not bad.

Through this match, he also realized how unrealistic it is for the current team roster to compete for championships on multiple fronts.

In a long season, you always have to make choices.

Gaio let the hot water wash over his body, feeling the flow of water, and his heart gradually calmed down.

The Bastia team did not stay in the Czech Republic for long.

Pilsen has no airport.

Take a bus to Prague Ruzyne International Airport in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, and fly to Paris for a connecting flight.

very troublesome.

When the players returned to Bastia, it was already past 3 a.m.

On the bus back to the training base, snoring could be heard everywhere.

Even Gaio couldn't stay awake and fell asleep.

Chatham is not asleep.

He looked at the tired faces in the car and sighed.

I waited for fifteen minutes.

Chatham then woke the players up, telling them they didn't need to go home that night and could all sleep at the training facility.

the next day.

The whole of Bastia was in a frenzy of excitement.

News of last night's victory spread further through the newspapers.

Every Bastia resident wore a smile.

As fans passed by the Terra-Vecchia Center building, they saw the giant portrait.

A look of pride involuntarily appeared on his face.

This is their pride.

This is also their legend.

This is another name for Bastia—Gaio!
Time flies.

Three days after his comeback victory against Viktoria Plzen, Bastia traveled to Metz.

To play a French League Cup match.

This away game,

Hagi Bejic fielded a completely reserve team, and even promoted young players from the reserve team when there weren't enough players.

Bastia gave its key players a full week to rest and recover.

Even Hagi Begic, known for his strict training methods, rarely only asked the team to do a simple warm-up.

The players receive physical therapy, hydrotherapy, ice baths, and so on every day.

Bastia withdrew from this French League Cup match.

Throughout the match, apart from Klose's commendable performance, he was basically dominated by Metz.

Mane was substituted on in the 80th minute.

He received applause from the Metz fans at the stadium. At least during his time at Metz, he performed well, and his departure brought the team a considerable transfer fee.

Mane's introduction did not change Bastia's situation.

finally.

Bastia lost 1-3 away from home.

They will miss the next match of the French League Cup.

This was expected.

Hagi Begic is focusing all his attention on the next match against Nice.

Nice,

This is also a powerhouse in Ligue 1!
With the French League Cup now abandoned, Hagi Bejic is also being more pragmatic in the league.

First, make sure you don't fall behind.

Then let's see if we can secure a Champions League spot.

Or,

champion?

Although he knew it would be difficult, Hagi Begic did indeed have a championship dream in his heart.

(End of this chapter)