The road to godhood starting from Ligue 1

Chapter 235 Gaio, Making Everything a Reality

Gaio shot the ball with great determination.

He didn't pay any attention to the opposing goalkeeper Tebo's positioning because all he wanted to do was shoot into the corner.

A shot on target goes in.

This is not a duel with the opposing goalkeeper, but a dialogue with oneself.

This time,
Gaio overcame his own limitations, and the ball slammed into the net from the corner without any obstruction.

Tebo guessed the direction correctly, but he was helpless against this kind of ball.

That's Gaio's confidence!

"Beautiful Gaio!"

Lukaku immediately charged at Gaio, yelling, "They've turned the tide!"

De Bruyne's face was also full of smiles. He even thought the game might end in a draw, but Gai had created this opportunity and changed the score.

Gaio was celebrating wildly with his teammates on the sidelines.

In contrast, the home field was silent.

Everyone in Brest was silent.

No one wants to see themselves, who have been leading for most of the game, lose in the final minutes.

I absolutely do not want to see this.

In the stands, some young fans already had tears in their eyes; this was perhaps just an ordinary game in the long season.

The outcome of this match is meaningless for Brest. This is not a final that can decide the championship, nor is it a knockout match in a cup competition. They will not be relegated because of three points, nor will they enter the European competition zone because of three points.

but,
That's football for you. It's the only sport that can stir up the emotions of countless people without ever deciding a champion.

Brest's decline is Bastia's celebration!

At Sunset Cafe, no specific sounds could be heard anymore; only countless noises mixed with alcohol, all mingled together and thrown into everyone's minds.

It will quietly unfold in your dreams, sketching out a magnificent dream of Bastia.

"Geo!"

"Geo!!"

No matter how much you say, it will all be drowned out. Only shouting Gaio's name can be heard clearly, because everyone is shouting, yelling, and celebrating with all their might.

The moment the goal was scored, the TF1 commentator was just as excited as Hagi Begic on the sidelines. He shouted during the commentary, "Buuuuut! Gaio, Gaio, and Gaio again, only Gaio! The Emperor of Bastia, the Legend of Bastia!"

He created the opportunity, he finished the job. This moment belongs to Bastia, this moment belongs to Gaio!

I believe that on Corsica at this moment, passion is overflowing! Yes, don't suppress it, don't hold back. At this moment, why wait, why breathe, just let it all out!

On the sidelines, Gaio and De Bruyne, along with their teammates, hugged each one, and everyone had a smile on their face.

Since it was an away game, they were too embarrassed to celebrate for too long.

At the end, Gaio turned back towards the away team's area and vigorously pumped his fists three times.

"Geo!"

"Bastia!"

This has once again ignited the passion of the away fans.

Chauvin breathed a sigh of relief.

They finally lost.

The expected ending has unfolded, so there's no need to worry.

He looked at the scoreboard; there were only a few minutes left, and things couldn't get any worse.

In that case——

Chauvin gestured to the players, waving them forward repeatedly, signaling them to attack, to make a final, all-out effort.

They should at least show their attitude when playing at home.

drop!
When the whistle blew, the game continued.

Brest quickly launched the ball out, and the players shared Chauvin's idea: to fight for their lives in the final moments!

however,
Often, reality never aligns with the plans in their minds. What they perceive as the final moment is their repeated attacks, their relentless pursuit of the last breath, their abandonment of everything, and their unwavering resolve to never look back.

but,
Everything came to an abrupt end when Kanté made a flying tackle to steal the ball from Lichka's feet.

Their resolute backs turned as they retreated to defend.

In reality, the final moments were Brest's struggles in defense, their frantic attempts to block shots, and their heart-stopping moments watching Bastia shoot.

at last,

In the first minute of stoppage time, their dream was shattered completely.

It was Gaio again, making a strong run down the right flank, but suddenly stopping abruptly and passing the ball back to De Bruyne.

De Bruyne curled a right-footed shot from just outside the penalty area on the left.

Football is like a scalpel, easily slicing through the night sky, and easily shattering Brest's last hope.

Swish!
The ball went in.

De Bruyne opened his arms and ran towards Gaio. They embraced on the wing. "That was a good pass."

"It's because you have good shooting accuracy!"

The two celebrated with each other, and other teammates rushed over, giving each other high-fives and sharing their victory "remarks".

TF1's commentators, as always, used exaggerated language in their commentary.

Through broadcasting, it reached the ears of countless people.

Simeone pursed his lips and shook his head slightly; the match against Bastia would be difficult.

If a player can only drive to the basket, that's fine; as long as you pack up defenders, there's a way to stop him.

However, if this player also has a good passing ability.

That's a big problem.

Simeone fell into a brief moment of contemplation; Atletico Madrid were under immense pressure as they were about to embark on a long journey to France.

Is it really possible that we'll only advance as the second-place team in our group?

That would be incredibly disgraceful for the defending champions.

By the time he came to his senses, the game was already over.

The result was the same as expected before the competition, only the process was slightly volatile.

After the game, Gaio walked into the locker room, glanced at the winning points, and saw that he had only gained 4 points.

Ligue 1 really doesn't add any points.

Look at that match against Atletico Madrid, and then look at this match—it's a world of difference.

Gaião is looking forward to the second leg against Atlético Madrid; a win would bring a significant number of points.

Simultaneously.

He knew in his heart that he had to give it his all this season and that he couldn't stay in Ligue 1 during the summer transfer window.

No matter how much money Paris Saint-Germain offers, he will not stay in Ligue 1.

The competitiveness is too poor.

He needs a bigger stage and more winning points.

In the post-match press conference, Hagi Begic not only answered questions about tonight's game but also talked about the next round's match against Atletico Madrid.

“I won’t deny the players’ efforts. We were the winners last time, and if we want to be the winners next time, we must stay focused at all times. Atletico Madrid is not as bad as the scoreline suggests. Their championship last season is the biggest proof that they are a championship team.”

The reporter added, "You were also the champion team last season, a double champion, and with this season's French Super Cup, you are a treble champion."

Hagi Begic couldn't help but chuckle, "Well, a Ligue 2 champion is still a champion."

As for Chauvin in Brest on the other side, nobody cared what he said.

This is football.

Most people only focus on the winners, on star players, and star teams.

Only the fans of each team silently follow everything about their favorite team.

Tonight is clearly not a wonderful night for Brest fans.

Even those fans who witnessed such a comeback defeat at the stadium named after the former mayor of Brest might not feel so good about the following week.

the next day.

The local newspapers in Bastia sold extremely well, and in just one morning, the article "The Light of Corsica! Gaio's Two Goals and One Assist Direct a Comeback! Bastia Aims at Atletico Madrid" spread throughout Bastia.

When the electronic scoreboard at the Francis Lebrue Stadium froze at 1-3, the night in Brest was nothing but silence.

Wearing the number 10 jersey, the son of Corsica, Jan Gaio, once again spreads his arms and runs towards the corner flag. This soon-to-be 18-year-old prodigy is writing the most dazzling chapter in the century-long history of Bastia club.

Facing a deficit, Gaião delivered a textbook winger performance, demonstrating what it means to break the deadlock single-handedly.
He made football as rhythmic and explosive as a Corsican folk song; when the ball was at his feet, the whole island of Corsica awaited a miracle.

Hagi Bejic is brimming with confidence for the next Europa League group stage match, saying, 'Against Atletico Madrid? We just need Gai to keep dancing like this and we'll win.'

Three days later, Bastia will host Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid in the Europa League. Although the Argentine coach has instilled a tough, resilient mentality in the Rojiblancos since taking over, the Corsican Morning News sharply points out that "Atletico's left flank defense has a weakness in turning speed, which is precisely Gaio's hunting ground."

It's worth mentioning that after the first leg, Simeone specifically mentioned: 'We studied a lot of Gaio's data, but video footage can never capture the suffocating feeling he brought to defenders.'

A storm is brewing in Bastia. With the blue jerseys meeting the red and white, all Bastia fans are anticipating Gaio's performance. But as the Corsican proverb goes: "The eagle is never afraid of the higher cliff."

This article made many fans chuckle and say, "Gaio will definitely tear their defense apart at home. They couldn't stop him last time, and they still can't stop him this time!"

"My God, I never imagined that the Stadio de la Cerro ...

"The Golden Boy award hadn't been announced yet during the last match, but now it seems that the two Atletico Madrid players in the 40-man shortlist—Koke and Courtois—are far inferior to Gaio. What do they have to offer Gaio in the competition?"

"I think only Francisco from Malaga can be compared to Gaio. Their characteristics are actually very similar, except that Gaio is faster."

"Oh, that guy's Isco, right? Hmm, he's really good, very impressive. According to the media, he seems to have already been booked by Real Madrid and will basically join Real Madrid at the end of the season."

The discussion about this match wasn't limited to Bastia; it was happening throughout Corsica, with fans from Ajaccio and other areas rushing to buy tickets.

However, Bastia prioritized local fans, so they introduced a policy of priority ticket purchase for Bastia residents. As a result, only a very small number of tickets were sold to fans from other places.

In fact, it's not just cities like Ajaccio in Corsica that are paying attention to this match; many other places in France are also following it.

among them,

Birdsworth Town, near Paris, is the place I care about most.

As Gaio's reputation grew, officials in Niaoquan Town began to consider how to leverage Gaio's fame to develop the town as well.

They have already been in contact with Pierre and are waiting for the winter break, hoping that Gaio can return home and participate in some activities.

The town of Niaoquan wants to paint an image of Gaio wearing the number 10 jersey of the French national team on the side of their tallest building, and is also considering adding a related message.

I haven't thought of the specific wording yet, but the general idea is that anything is possible.

After all, who could have imagined that a little boy from Bird Spring would grow into a football prodigy who is the focus of attention throughout France?
This is a role model!
The noise and commotion from the outside world couldn't penetrate the walls of the Bastia training base.

The players trained in an orderly manner under Hagi Bejic's guidance.

Bastia's tactics are now basically set in stone, and their training volume is not particularly high, mainly focusing on identifying and addressing weaknesses.

Chatham and Hagi Begic have discussed winter transfer window signings and mentioned players who are likely to be available.

At that moment, Haji Begichi's face was all wrinkled from smiling.

However, today, their conversation wasn't about that; instead, they focused on young players like Gaio.

Chatham said, "You have a chance. Give Mane, Sidibé, Klose and other players more opportunities. I think they played quite well and didn't make any mistakes."

Hagi Bejic understood Chatham's unspoken meaning: these players were the team's asset.

On the contrary, loaned players like Lukaku and De Bruyne offer Bastia no value other than improving their performance.

"I am clear."

"That's good. Keep training and keep it up. After this match against Atletico Madrid, I'll contact a few more players to see if I can negotiate with one more." Chatham felt like he had reached the peak of his career, and his mind was full of work.

In the training ground.

The Bastia players were chatting and laughing with each other.

The team's incredible record this season continues.

Everyone was holding back a lot of energy.

Time is fleeting.

November 7th, the day before the match between Bastia and Atletico Madrid.

Hagibergic brought Rothen to the pre-match press conference. Hagibergic, who was shouting about avoiding relegation in the league, is becoming increasingly "bold" in the Europa League.

"Our goal is simple: win this home game and secure our place in the knockout stage."

"When the Europa League was first grouped, I believe no one would have imagined the current points standings. No one thought that a fourth-tier team that had been absent from European competitions for more than 30 years could achieve a triple victory over the other three teams."

Rothen also said, "Reaching the knockout stage is not only our dream, but also the dream of the Bastia people for more than 30 years. When we returned to Ligue 2 from the French National League, we never thought this day would come."

"But Gaio, make it all a reality."

(End of this chapter)