The road to godhood starting from Ligue 1

Chapter 246 This newly promoted team is clearly very strong, but overly cautious.

Rothen laughed and said, "So what? We won the French Cup last season, and we beat all the Ligue 1 teams along the way."

The elderly men, including Kahusaz and Joplin, also laughed.

Everyone wore a confident smile; that's the confidence of a double champion!
The more they talked, the more confident they became.

Gaio walked to the window and looked at Lille under the night sky, the former coal mining capital.

Lille was once the industrial heart of northern France, with its coal mines and textile industry contributing to its prosperity.

With its developed industry, football, which originally belonged to the working class, naturally flourished in this city.

Lille's club nickname is Les Dogues, after the mastiff, an image that also appears on the club's crest, but its origin has been lost to history.

The most common theory is that one of their predecessors was Olympiquelé, who won their first French national league title in the 1932-33 season.

This club is known for its fierce and aggressive nature, and is often compared to mastiffs.

In addition, Lille has a similar but more imposing nickname: "The War Machine".

This nickname comes from their golden age in the 1940s and 50s, when they were either champions or runners-up in domestic league and cup competitions.

Gaio snapped out of his thoughts and turned his head, his peripheral vision catching sight of Vincent in the corner.

Gaio suddenly remembered that Van Shang hadn't played for the team in a long time.

Even substitutes rarely get a chance.

His abilities cannot replace any of De Bruyne, Rothen, or Kanté.

Gaio walked over to him, put his arm around Van Shang's shoulder, pointed to the other teammates chatting, and laughed, "Right? That pass you made last season was really cool, it's a pity we didn't capitalize on it."

Fan Shang smiled and touched his head. He had become completely marginalized after the team added more new players, and he didn't expect Gai to bring him up with others.

With Gaio leading the way, Rothen and the others also started talking to Vincent.

Gaio looked at the young Vincent and thought that as long as Vincent didn't leave Bastia, he would probably be a key midfielder next season.

The next day.

By 6 p.m., tens of thousands of Lille fans had already flooded the area around the Pierre-Mauroy Stadium.

They walked in groups down the street, many waving flags and chanting slogans.

Buses traveled through the streets of Bastia, which were not as crowded as in Marseille.

The police in Lille were relatively more reliable, and the Bastia bus quickly drove into the stadium.

In the locker room.

Although the Bastia players boasted last night that they could easily beat Lille, they all looked quite serious at this point.

Gaio stood in the middle, with De Bruyne and Kanté on either side of him. He put his arm around their shoulders, and the others put their arms around each other in a circle.

Gaio said, "Although we beat them last season, in football, past records never affect the outcome of the next game. There's a saying, 'Despise the enemy strategically, but take them seriously tactically.' We need to be confident, but also cautious in this game. Okay, enough said, for victory, for the fans—"

"Fight, Bastia!!"

Everyone shouted together, their blood boiling.

Win!
They win until the very end, and they are the champions!

Haji Begitch has been watching Gaio ever since Gaio first shone, and he has noticed that Gaio is becoming more and more like a captain.

In the players' tunnel, many Lille players greeted Gaio.

For example, players like Debuchy, Mavuba, Payet, and Landreau are all teammates on the French national team.

However, when they were actually preparing to go on the field, both players looked very serious, perhaps because they felt that the other side was not easy to deal with.

Digne's eyes were fixed on Gaio. As a left-back who came through Lille's youth academy, he knew the pressure he would face tonight.

Although they are both young, Gaio has made it difficult for Digne to relax since last night.

The shadow of a tree casts a long shadow over a person's reputation; this is the kind of pressure Gaio is currently putting on the defensive players.

French defenders all know how strong Gaio is.

soon.

The players followed the referee into the Stade Mauroy, a stadium built in the old industrial area that has witnessed the rise and fall of Lille and football.

At this moment, the Mauroy Stadium is packed with 50,000 fans.

As the players entered the field.

In the stands, fans with all sorts of faces cheered wildly.

Lille's rise was largely due to the influx of North African immigrants in the 20th century, who moved into factories and turned the team into a cultural melting pot, which also influenced the team's racial composition.

For example, Algerian-American star Sow, a key player in the 2011 double championship.

Of course, this phenomenon is common in France.

Especially in France, where the proportion of blacks is now extremely high, the French are almost turning into black chickens.

On the field.

As captain, Gaio and the opposing captain, Cheju, conducted the opening ceremony.

After a perfunctory handshake, Garcia and Hagi Begic stood solemnly on the sidelines.

This match was not easy for either side.

The broadcast gave Gaio plenty of close-up shots, and Bastia fans were already in various locations, ready to watch the match.

In the Sunset Cafe.

Bertrand was still telling the fans the latest news published in the Bastia newspaper today: Bastia has reached an agreement with Arsenal to loan Arsenal's young goalkeeper, Damian Martinez, for half a season.

The specific details of the loan are unclear, but the loan is basically a done deal.

Bertrand said, "It's good news. This is the first signing of the winter transfer window. Loans are very cost-effective for us now, as the team is probably really short of money."

One fan commented, "I heard that Damian will be going to Bastia next week to start training with the team. Although he won't be able to play for Bastia yet, his early arrival is very important for the team's cohesion."

You say something to me.

On television, the referee had already blown the whistle, and the match had officially begun.

The fans gradually quieted down, their attention returning to the game.

Bastia may be in first place now, but in fact, the gap between them and the three teams behind them is not that big.

That's why the fans are nervous.

If a team fails to maintain its winning streak and is easily overtaken, it will lose the initiative.

It's no wonder that at this juncture, the team revealed news of winter transfer signings, which can be seen as giving fans some confidence.

"Wow! Lukaku is really fast!"

"Unfortunately, I tripped over my own feet."

At the Mauroy Stadium, Lukaku received a through pass from De Bruyne, turned and sprinted. He had already gained an advantage in position, but because he didn't control the ball well, he went out of bounds while the ball was still behind him.

Zhu intercepted the ball.

Lukaku gave an awkward laugh and gave De Bruyne a thumbs up.

He himself felt that he had hit a bottleneck recently, and his goal-scoring efficiency had slowed down.

Lukaku feels awkward playing against these Ligue 1 defenders now; it just doesn't feel right.

In fact, Hagi Bejic could see that Bastia was gradually being figured out by other teams.

They all knew how Bastia was going to play.

The reason why Bastia is able to maintain its top position is simple: Gaio is really hard to contain, and there is no way to deal with him.

Even when opponents know how to target Bastia, Gaio always manages to step up and help the team break through.

"Defense!" So, when Hagi Begic saw that Lukaku had missed his chance, he wasn't worried and shouted to the midfielders and defenders.

His tactics in this game were relatively simple, consisting of just eight words: "Focus on defense and wait for an opportunity to strike."

On Lille's side, their attacking linchpin Marvin Martin was struggling to keep up with Kanté's marking. Once Martin entered Kanté's coverage area in the attacking third, he was practically glued to the ground, unable to shake off Kanté without passing the ball out.

Bang!
Marvin Martin tried again, and finally managed to protect the ball and pass it across to Payet.

Send Payet to organize on the flanks.

However, Payet's organizational skills are far inferior to Marvin Martin's.

Rothen was once the Ligue 1 assist leader for Bastia.

However, Marvin Martin is the player with the most assists in a single season in Ligue 1 since statistics began!

In the 2010/11 season, when he was still playing for Sochaux, he set this record with 19 assists.

It was precisely because of Sochaux's top performance that Blanco called him up to the national team, and Martin made his national team debut in a friendly match against Ukraine in June 2011.

This debut was absolutely stunning.

Unfortunately, Blanco didn't give him a chance at the European Championship.

He started getting injured when he arrived at Lille this summer transfer window. Before this start, he had been sidelined for about a month.

French media believe that Martin may become a brilliant shooting star in Lille due to injuries, shining brightly before falling at lightning speed.

Perhaps due to injury, the body is afraid to exert force and cannot open up.

Payet's advance down the wing was unsuccessful, and when he passed the ball back to Martin, Kanté pressed forward and challenged Martin from the side, stealing the ball from his feet.

Wow!

The Lille fans at the stadium were in disbelief. They had high hopes for Martin this summer, but after these past few months of matches...

They felt the deal was probably a rip-off.

This cost the team ten million euros in transfer fees!
Some Lille fans couldn't help but compare it to De Bruyne, who Chelsea bought for just over ten million euros.

Compared to this, we've lost out!

While they were thinking about this and that, Bastia's attack had already reached the edge of their penalty area.

The TF1 commentator couldn't help but exclaim, "Bastia's counter-attack speed is just too fast!"

It's really fast.

From Kanté's interception of the ball to his return to the attacking third, there were only two passes in between.

This is how Bastia plays football now.

Keep it as simple as possible.

If one attempt fails, wait for a second chance.

However, their primary focus remained on defense, leading the media to comment that Bastia, "a newly promoted team, is clearly very strong, but overly cautious."

With Bastia's midfield and forward lineup, many media outlets believe that Bastia could easily be deployed out of the field and engage in attacking battles.

Just like now——

Lukaku received a pass from De Bruyne inside the penalty area, turned his back to Cecchus, and then passed the ball to Gaio, who was making a run forward.

Gaio cuts inside, creates space, and unleashes a curling shot!
His shot had already been anticipated by goalkeeper Landreau, and now whenever Gaio cuts inside, he has to anticipate his shot.

Landreau leaped and tipped the ball, which was hovering over the far corner, over the crossbar.

To resolve the crisis in Lille.

call!
This scene brought a sigh of relief to the fans at the stadium, who were genuinely terrified when they saw Gaio's shot.

"Gaio is still way too much!"

One fan remarked.

Corner kick from the left.

Bastia's two center-backs, including Anguilla, entered the penalty area, ready to contest the header.

Gaio, on the other hand, is positioned on the outside. His heading and aerial ability are relatively weak, so he just needs to wait for a second chance.

drop!
The referee's whistle sounded.

After gesturing with his hand, De Bruyne curled the ball towards the center of the penalty area.

However, his shot went a bit too high, and no one in the middle touched the ball.

Land at a far point.

Gaio immediately rushed over and took control of the ball, with Mavuba and Digne blocking his way.

Gaio was once again double-teamed.

In the previous attempts, the success rate was about 50/50. This time, in the heart of the territory, Mavuba and Digne were clearly more cautious.

As Gaio dribbled the ball, he observed the movements of the two players. Neither of them moved ahead of time, knowing that if they moved first against Gaio, they would be easily fooled.

At this moment, Rothen had already moved up, and Gaio glanced in his direction, making a gesture as if to pass the ball.

Ma Wuba's attention was momentarily diverted.

Gaio spiked the ball, then flicked it towards the baseline, looking like he was about to make a strong drive.

Mavuba was getting old and his reactions weren't quite up to par, while Digne kept up.

However, this created a gap between the two of them.

Gaio passed the ball between Digne's moving legs, then unleashed a furious burst of speed, taking his first step and bursting through the gap between Mavuba and Digne.

Digne was caught off guard by Gaio's actions, and he was caught in a dilemma: he wanted to block Gaio's baseline breakthrough, he wanted to turn around and pull Gaio back, and he also wanted to intercept the pass at his feet.

Ultimately, he accomplished nothing.

He watched helplessly as Gaio charged forward.

Wow!

At that moment, the stadium roared. This dribble was undeniably impressive, even to the opponent.

The commentator shouted, "That's Gaio! Brilliant dribble! This is a great opportunity for Bastia, Gaio! Gaio!"

After Gaio broke into the penalty area, the Lille players in front of him were too late to cover, leaving him wide open!

Only Digne and Mavuba were chasing from behind.

Landreau stared intently at Gaio, who was a step too slow in receiving the ball. Gaio glanced at the middle of the field, where Lukaku and De Bruyne had both moved forward into position.

Gaio guided the ball with his left foot to a comfortable position with his right foot.

Not looking at the goal.

Swing your right foot up.

A cross?!
In front of the penalty area, both Cheju and Basha rushed forward to try and block the pass.

Landro then turned his head and glanced at the location of Bastia's mid-lane support point.

But just one glance.

Swish!
Yu Zhongguang's football flew into the net.

Wow!

Lille fans were stunned, Lille players were stunned.

Even the commentator was stunned, excitedly shouting, "My God! Was that Gaio's right-footed outside-of-the-boot shot without even looking at the goal?! Buuuuut!! Gaio scored! Bastia has only been playing for 17 minutes and they're leading Lille again!"

(End of this chapter)