The road to godhood starting from Ligue 1

Chapter 226 Atletico Madrid Front
drop!
The referee blew his whistle, and the second half officially began.

Bastia kicks off.

After Lukaku passed the ball back to De Bruyne, he did not immediately make a forward run.

Bastia had no intention of taking the lead at the start.

With a two-goal lead, they prioritized stability, so De Bruyne controlled the ball and passed it around in the backfield.

Atletico Madrid will clearly not let them waste time easily.

After the kickoff, they quickly pressured the Bastia player with the ball, their intention being clear: to increase the number of passes Bastia made.

The more times you try, the more mistakes you make.

Atletico Madrid's pressing was very effective; not everyone in Bastia has the footwork skills.

It's worth noting that Bastia has long been known as "savage islanders" by other French teams, and their playing style has long been labeled as fierce.

Gaio is an anomaly in the history of Bastia.

It's difficult to control the game in midfield if you rely solely on De Bruyne, as he himself is under a lot of pressure from Atletico Madrid.

Gaio quickly retreated to provide support.

However, the first time he got the ball in the second half, Filipe came up from behind and knocked him down.

drop!
The referee quickly blew his whistle and ruled a foul.

Gaio didn't get up immediately; he sat on the ground and retied his shoelaces.

He's not a hothead.

Knowing that his opponent would repeatedly commit fouls to target him, he naturally knew how to use those fouls to gradually wear down the opponent's time.

So what if it looks bad?
As long as you can win.

Some teams, if they could just lie on the grass and buy some time in the final moments, wouldn't have been tied by a last-minute equalizer, and wouldn't have been overturned in extra time.

When a team is just three or four minutes away from victory, and then gets a last-minute equalizer and a comeback, who can stand that?
Gaio slowly got up.

Rothen came over and took the ball out. Bastia had a very limited number of attacking players in the frontcourt, but their individual abilities were in no way inferior to Atletico Madrid's.

Gaio received the ball again.

Facing Felipe's aggressive tackles, Gaio simply made a sudden stop and change of direction to completely shake him off. In this match, Felipe was completely at Gaio's mercy, passing him whenever he wanted.

Gaio advanced along the sideline.

at the same time,

Lukaku moved forward into the vicinity of the penalty area, drawing the attention of Miranda and Godin.

Gabi and Uruguayan Ronaldo came up to cover, double-teaming Gaio and preventing him from cutting inside.

Gaio's bottom line.

Lukaku took small steps forward and made a gesture as if he wanted the ball.

Gaio suddenly stopped abruptly, turned sideways and stepped on the ball with his left foot, then glanced into the penalty area.

He passed the ball out with his left foot.

Both Gabi and Christian thought Gai was going to cross the ball, but Gai actually passed it back!
De Bruyne surged forward down the middle, but Suarez couldn't keep up with him.

The ball was passed to Gaio, leaving a large open space in front of De Bruyne.

Wow!

The fans in the Calderon stands were taken aback – a huge empty seat!
Without hesitation, De Bruyne curled a shot with his right foot, sending the ball straight into the top corner of the goal.

Everyone was focused on the ball.

Courtois leaped out, his superior skill and long reach allowing him to barely flick the ball with his fingertips in mid-air.

Change the trajectory of the football.

Bang!
The ball hit the goalpost and bounced back. Miranda cleared the ball with a bicycle kick, getting ahead of Lukaku.

Wow!

Atletico Madrid fans felt a sense of relief, as if they had escaped a disaster. It looked like a goal, and if Bastia had scored, Atletico Madrid's chances in tonight's game would have been in jeopardy.

De Bruyne shook his head, clearly dissatisfied with the result.

However, the situation on the field didn't give him much time to think; Atletico Madrid made very quick transitions.

Although no goal was scored, Zidane and Deschamps were both very satisfied with the goal.

Zidane said, "You can try Gai's passing and playmaking skills later. He used to play midfield in Chelsea's youth team. He may have the talent in this area and should not be limited to the wings."

Deschamps nodded. "But it depends on his own wishes. Some people just like to stay in their comfort zone."

The two exchanged a few words.

Let's keep watching the game.

At this moment, Bastia fans were filled with regret; if they had scored when they got the ball, the game would have been won.

They are only leading by two goals now, and they are a little uneasy.

Bastia's defense is a Ligue 2 defense.

This season they only added Sidibé, and Sidibé only played in Ligue 2 for Troyes last season.

Fortunately, Bastia had committed fewer players to their attack, and Atletico Madrid had more players tracking back, so their attack became a positional battle as soon as they reached the front.

"Defend! Defend!"

Hagi Bejic seemed a little excited and quickly waved for his players to get back on defense.

Even Gaio retreated to his defensive zone.

Bastia's current formation can be described as a 5-5-0.

Everyone back on defense!

Simeone looked displeased upon seeing this formation. If other teams had used this formation against Atletico Madrid, Simeone might not have found it troublesome.

But in that short hour, Bastia clearly showed him just how sharp his counterattack was.

De Bruyne had a chance just now, although he didn't score, but who knows if he'll score next time?

And with the score now 1-3, Bastia clearly has the upper hand.

On the field, Atletico Madrid players constantly looked for weaknesses in Bastia's defense.

But Bastia has too many defenders!
And once the game settled into positional play, Atletico Madrid's favorite counter-attacks had no room to develop.

Suddenly, Rothen roared at Adrian, "What are you doing?!"

Kante just tackled Adrian, knocking the ball away. Both players fell to the ground, but Adrian tripped Kante as he got up.

Rothen witnessed this, so Adrian got up and rushed over.

Rothen knew Kanté's personality well; he was willing to stand up for his teammates.

After so many years in his professional career, he felt redemption in Bastia.

to this end,

He was once a talented midfielder and the top assist provider in Ligue 1, but he is now willing to become a hardworking defensive midfielder.

Adrian was already unhappy with the game, and when he heard Rothen's words, he shoved Rothen's outstretched hand that was trying to stop him.

Ah!
But when Rothen saw his movement, he leaned forward slightly, and Adrian's raised hand directly touched Rothen's face.

He screamed and collapsed to the ground, clutching his face.

The referee was nearby and had been watching Atletico Madrid take the throw-in when he turned around and saw Adrian knock Rothen down.

Angula, Joplin, and others rushed over quickly, protecting Rothen while shoving Adrian.

Atletico Madrid players, naturally, were not to be outdone and rushed over. In an instant, players from both sides gathered around.

They looked ready to start a fight.

Gaio also arrived over and pulled back Anguilla and other hot-tempered players, whispering, "Watch your moves, don't get cards."

It looks like he's pulling, but it doesn't actually restrict Angula's movements.

The pushing and shoving continued.

Just as Angula pushed and the opponent tried to retaliate, Gaola pushed him away.

Gaio shouted, "Calm down!"

Drop drop!
The referee quickly blew his whistle to separate the players, but before things were settled on the field, chaos broke out on the sidelines.

The two head coaches got into an argument.

Simeone and Hagi Begic were only exchanging words, but the two assistant coaches went head-to-head.

They both spoke rudely to each other.

The fourth official quickly intervened to mediate the fight.

Shhh!
Shhh!!

The fans in the stadium started booing and booing at Bastia.

The TF1 commentator, addressing this situation, said, "This is actually a manifestation of pressure on both sides. Both teams are under immense pressure and very hot-tempered; they could explode at any moment. However, the Bastia players need to control their tempers and avoid getting cards. Bastia is currently on defense and under a lot of pressure. If they get cards because of this, they might be hesitant and afraid to make any moves during defense."

The Bastia players were well aware of this.

Although it's above.

However, the timing is perfect; it takes time to waste while simultaneously getting the other person excited.

The chaos quickly subsided.

The referee pulled out a yellow card.

The first one was given to Adrian, followed by one each to the head coach and assistant coach on both sides facing off.

Five cards were played at once.

As a result, the coaches received four cards.

After pushing his teammates aside, Gaio whispered, "Be careful, their attack will be even more intense later, so we need to break up their rhythm."

Rothen lowered his head, covered his mouth, and replied, "Don't worry, I know what to do."

Gaio nodded.

He completely trusted Rothen and his team on this point.

Veterans are still very important for a team. Of course, a younger team has its advantages: they are more energetic, talented, and creative.

However, there are also downsides: riding the wave when things are going well, but going against the wave when things are going badly.

And they don't control the rhythm.

Knowing when to foul and when to stall for time are lessons learned from countless games.

The game starts again.

The fans in the Calderon stands continued to boo and hurl insults at the Bastia players.

He blushed and yelled at people.

of course.

Gaio didn't understand Spanish, nor did he know what they were saying, but it certainly wasn't anything nice.

The Atlético Madrid fans were even more outrageous, making very obvious primate noises at players like Kanté, Sidibé, and Mané, while others sang the group's "signature song," "Retiro Park," whose lyrics are full of malice towards people of color.

The Atlético Madrid front consists of die-hard fans and is also a troublesome organization for the club.

Die-hard fan organizations have always been a double-edged sword.

Die-hard fans are often the inheritors of the club's history and values, and they unite the local community and foster a sense of belonging by organizing events such as charity events and commemorative matches.

This emotional bond is the foundation for the club's long-term development.

During matches, a unified cheering song, flags, and slogans are used to create a "devil's home ground" atmosphere for the team, just like in Bastia.

A large portion of the team's revenue also comes from them, such as season tickets, jerseys, and other merchandise.

In addition, die-hard fans often act as a watchdog for club management, opposing excessive commercialization or actions that damage tradition. The most classic examples are Manchester United fans protesting against the Glazer family and Arsenal fans opposing high ticket prices.

These are the kinds of die-hard fan organizations that everyone can accept.

But there are still many things that people cannot accept.

Some extreme fans may incite riots, racial discrimination, or violent clashes, such as the history of hooliganism in British football and the "derby violence" between Italian fans. These actions can damage the club's image and even lead to penalties, such as point deductions or playing in empty stadiums.

As mentioned earlier regarding club oversight, they also tend to excessively interfere in club decisions.

Resisting reasonable reforms, such as stadium relocation and sponsor selection, hinders the club's modernization.

Of course, the most important point is xenophobia and "moral blackmail," an overemphasis on "purity," which fuels irrational emotions, leads to excessive reactions after a loss, and results in insults against players, coaches, and so on.

This isn't the first time Atlético Madrid's supporters have done something like this. In October 2009, after Atlético Madrid coach Aguirre was sacked, 30 fans from the Atlético Madrid supporters were actually allowed to enter the training ground during Atlético Madrid's closed training session and express their strong dissatisfaction with the team in front of the players—in short, they were trolls.

This was the first day that Flores, the new manager of Atlético Madrid, took over. He hadn't even gotten to know all the players' faces yet, but he was met with such a humiliating scene.

Such a thing is extremely rare in the history of Spanish football.

You can't talk about rationality with extreme fans.

When Gaio was browsing football news in his previous life, he saw that there were a small number of fans like this in many domestic fan circles, who would criticize no matter what.

The game continues.

Bastia did indeed try to disrupt Atletico Madrid's rhythm by committing minor fouls or resorting to kneeling on the ground.

Atletico Madrid fans were extremely dissatisfied and hurled insults at the team, calling them "the grass-covered team."

The Bastia fans, however, remained unmoved; all they wanted was for the game to end as soon as possible.

Don't they know the team's strength?

Regardless of the situation.

As long as we can win, nothing else matters.

Sixtieth minute.

Simeone couldn't hold back any longer and used his remaining two substitutions, bringing on Bellezioglu and Falcao.

They substituted Koke, who scored the goal, and Adrian, who had a yellow card.

Adrian was clearly still angry when he left the field, and he didn't even talk to Simeone before heading straight to the bench.

Kirk and Simeone gave each other a high five and a hug.

Kirk was very dissatisfied with his performance in this game.

clap clap clap!
At that moment, applause erupted at the Calderon Stadium, a tribute to Falcao.

"Falcao is on the field! This striker from Colombia is Atletico Madrid's attacking ace. Since joining Atletico Madrid from Porto in the Portuguese league for 40 million euros, he has achieved great success."

After Aguero and Forlán left the team, he successfully took over Atlético Madrid's attacking firepower.

His hat-trick against Chelsea in this summer's Super Cup demonstrates his attacking prowess, putting even more pressure on Bastia's defense.

TF1 commentators expressed some concern about Falcao's potential return to the field, saying, "Simone's decision to switch to a two-striker formation is a surefire way to unleash a deadly weapon. It remains to be seen whether Bastia's Ligue 2 defense can hold up."

When Falcao came on, Hagi Begic gestured to the players from the sidelines, indicating that they should play according to the instructions given in the halftime locker room.

Gaião is wondering if he will have more opportunities after Simeone switched to a two-striker formation to go all out.

(End of this chapter)