The road to godhood starting from Ligue 1

Chapter 258 Worst Draw? Europa League Prospects Dim?

After the French Cup match against CA Bastia, the players focused on preparing for the league and the Europa League.

On January 8, the draw for the Europa League Round of 32 and Round of 16 knockout stages was held at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.

According to the schedule.

1/16决赛两回合分别于2月14日和21日进行；
1/8决赛两回合分别于3月7日和14日举行。

The final will be held on May 15 at the Amsterdam Arena in the Netherlands.

UEFA General Secretary Gianni Infantino and Competition Director Marketti presided over the draw, with Kluivert, the ambassador for the final venue, serving as a guest and representing the venue in the draw.

Lottery principles:

Teams from the same football association should avoid each other;

Teams in the same group in the Europa League group stage should avoid each other;

The teams in the first tier play their away games first.

The draw ceremony was broadcast in Bastia and received pretty good ratings.

Fans were already waiting in various pubs, discussing the draw even before it began.

Sunset Cafe Bistro.

Martin prayed fervently, "Ideally, it should be a team like Sparta Prague or Basel; please, no other team."

When Beltran heard Martin's words while delivering the drinks, he joined the others in laughing at him, "So you really want to play against weak teams? That's not the right mentality. If you're aiming for the championship, you have to beat everyone in the end. So you have to have the belief that you can eliminate any opponent, no matter what they are."

Martin glared at him. "Why not? My idea is simple: there's no need to face strong opponents in the round of 32. Saving our energy for the later matches against stronger teams is the best approach."

Most people around him agreed with Bertrand, saying, "Martin, we are Bastia!! We are never cowards! Your thinking is really unacceptable."

Others echoed.

Martin didn't argue with them, and continued praying, "Basel, Prague, Sparta."

The others simply waited for the outcome.

Bastia has been away from European competitions for so long that fans in other regions have no idea that a Bastia team exists, let alone that Bastia has ever reached the Europa League final.

He hopes Bastia can stand on the top stage, and they hope that Bastia's battle song can resound in Europe's top stadiums!
They long to return to the Netherlands.

34 years ago, they ended their only European final with bitterness at the Philips Stadium in the Netherlands.

Thirty-four years later, they longed to make up for the regrets of those 34 years at the Amsterdam Arena, more than 100 kilometers away from the site of their heartbreak in Bastia.

of course.

This is just wishful thinking on the part of the fans. In fact, without the team's double victory over Atletico Madrid in the group stage this season, they wouldn't even dare to dream of such a thing.

Because of Bastia, it has been mired in despair for far too long.

As the lottery ceremony began.

Some fans stared intently, while others sipped their drinks, but without exception, their subtle movements—the slight twitching of their lips, the nervousness of their fingers—revealed their tension.

One by one, the results came out.

BATE Borisov vs Fenerbahce
Inter Milan vs CFR Cluj

Levante vs Olympiacos
The atmosphere grew increasingly tense.

There was no other sound in the tavern; everyone's thoughts and eyes were focused on that screen.

They're all in Kluivert's hands.

until--

Kluivert drew Bastia's name.

Wow!

Inside the tavern, some were heartbroken, some were nervous, and some were full of fighting spirit!
Tottenham Hotspur vs. Bastia!

The final results were announced on television, and Kluivert moved on to the next draw.

but,

Bastia was now silent because of the result.

They don't mind strong teams, but being drawn against such a team in the round of 32 is a bit overwhelming for them.

Tottenham Hotspur!

Their historical status in English football is undeniable as a traditional powerhouse and an important force. They have a brilliant record in cup competitions and European competitions, especially in the 80s, and are one of England's representative forces in European competitions.

However, they also fell into a slump after entering the new century, until Redknapp took office!
This is Harry Redknapp, the father of Liverpool's Jamie Redknapp.

Under his leadership, Tottenham underwent an epic upgrade.

The emergence of key players like Modric and Bale, in particular, has made Tottenham a highly competitive team in England for a time.

The 2009/10 season was a breakthrough season for them!
Tottenham finished fourth in the Premier League, securing Champions League qualification for the first time since 1990.

He performed well in the following seasons, but unfortunately, due to factors such as missing out on Champions League qualification and failing to secure the England national team manager position, Harry Redknapp resigned after the season ended last June.

André Velázquez succeeded him.

After losing Modric, Tottenham's attacking ability has declined significantly.

However, this season, under Villas-Boas's management, the team has played highly entertaining attacking football and has spent most of the season in the Champions League qualification zone, even being a strong contender for the title at one point.

Simultaneously,

Gareth Bale, the team's star player, completely exploded, announcing his entry into the ranks of world-class superstars with an epic performance. He almost single-handedly carried the team forward, contributing numerous astonishing individual performances and crucial goals.

His lightning speed made him the undisputed king of the flanks in the Premier League.

right now,

Bastia drew Tottenham, a team also led by a single superstar.

They also have a host of talented players such as Adebayo, Lowry, Jan Vertonghen, and Kyle Walker.

At the Bastia training base.

Hagi Begic and the players couldn't help but frown at the result.

This fortune reading is really bad!
Tottenham Hotspur right off the bat?

Even the usually optimistic Lukaku was caught in the whispers among the players. Hagi Begic remained silent, still watching the draw on TV.

Gaio frowned slightly. Only 32 teams? Why make it this difficult? This puts immense pressure on Bastia's flank defense.

This is Bear Grylls.

Real Madrid's manager Florentino Pérez is willing to spend hundreds of millions of euros to find a player to succeed Cristiano Ronaldo.

A healthy Bale's strength is beyond doubt.

With the draw for the round of 32 completed, the next step—the draw for the round of 16—will proceed.

The first match drawn is: Napoli/Viktoria Plzeň vs BATE Borisov/Fenerbahce
Gaio and the others stopped chatting and turned to watch TV.

The draw for the round of 16 is also crucial.

In the current Europa League, the round of 32 and the round of 16 are drawn together, but a new draw is held for the quarterfinals.

soon.

Bastia has yielded results again.

Wow!

The entire conference room erupted in gasps of disbelief.

Lukaku shouted, "This is fucking killing us!"

No wonder he's so loud and boisterous.

Almost all the Bastia players had their brows furrowed at that moment.

This is absolutely the worst luck I've ever had!
Even the more pessimistic players feel that their Europa League journey has a bleak future.

The draw results for the Round of 16 —

Tottenham Hotspur / Bastia vs Inter Milan / CFR Cluj

This means that even if Bastia manages to overcome Tottenham, they will still have to face the winner between Inter Milan and CFR Cluj.

Statistically speaking, this basically means their opponent in the round of 16 will be Inter Milan, with Sneijder and Milito both delivering top-level performances.
A series of matches against Tottenham and Inter Milan?
After seeing the result, Haji Begitch immediately turned off the TV.

"Everyone knows the draw results. Tottenham, then Inter Milan."

Hagi Bejic paused briefly, a self-deprecating smile on his face, and shook his head: "Well, that's assuming we can beat Tottenham. Maybe tomorrow's French newspapers will say we'll be eliminated in the round of 32. It seems UEFA's draw is 'particularly kind' to our Corsican island team!"

A commotion broke out in the conference room.

The players were also very dissatisfied with the draw results, as no one wanted to face top teams from the five major leagues one after another starting from the round of 32.

"but--"

Amid the commotion below, Haji Begichi's voice suddenly rose in volume.

"They want to scare us? They want us to think our Europa League journey is over? They want us to look at these big names and then bow our heads and say, 'Okay, we did our best'? Bullshit! Look where our name is in the Ligue 1 standings now? Number one!"

"Not Paris, not Lyon, not Marseille, it's our Bastia!"

This former Yugoslavian defensive cornerstone, even in his old age, remains full of passion.

"Who ever believed in us on our journey? Who ever imagined Bastia could stand atop Ligue 1? But we did it! We silenced everyone with our actions! Now, in European competitions, do they want to treat us as mere supporting characters? Do they want to use us as stepping stones for the big clubs?"

"Tottenham is strong? Inter Milan is great? Yes! They are powerhouses, they have star players, they have a glorious history! But so what?! We are not playing against their history, we are playing against the 11 players on the pitch!"

At this point, Hagi Begic's gaze swept across the crowd, lingering particularly on Gaio for a few seconds, before he said, enunciating each word clearly, "We also have our own stars! Look at the top scorers in Ligue 1 and the Europa League group stage, see who's number one!"

"Geo!"

Lukaku is most easily controlled by his emotions. He had already become excited during Hagi Begic's passionate "speech" and immediately shouted Gaio's name upon hearing this.

The other teammates also looked at Gaio.

Haji Begitch nodded. "That's right, Gaio! So what are we afraid of? We have Gaio! And we also have Kevin, Kanté, Romelu, Sadio, and everyone else, plus Virgil and Damian who just joined us. Are you scared?!"

As he spoke, he looked out the window. "I can already imagine what tomorrow's newspapers will say: 'Bastia's good luck is over,' 'The dark horse is about to be exposed,' 'Ligue 1 leaders? Let's see how the European competition teaches them a lesson.' Let them talk! Let them continue to underestimate us! But we know in our hearts that we got to where we are today not because of luck! We are the well-deserved leaders of Ligue 1!"

clap clap clap!
Everyone in the audience applauded enthusiastically, agreeing with everything Hagi Begic said.

Hagi Begic is already thinking about letting the players leave, waiting for the next match against Lance.

But Chatham gestured for him to speak further.

Chatham stepped forward, his gaze sweeping over everyone before he spoke, “I believe you all understand what the coach just said, but I want to offer you another perspective.”

His gaze was fixed on Gaio in the middle, and on De Bruyne, Van Dijk, and others around him.

"Was this a bad draw? But from another perspective, it's a huge gift from UEFA! A gift that will shock the world! Just think, what will happen to all of Europe if we get past Tottenham? What if we upset Inter Milan? How will the entire football world remember the name Bastia? They will tell our story for decades to come!"

"And what about you who created miracles? I believe that every one of your names will be on the desks of those top European club managers, who will all be waving their money around and offering you a contract."

Gaio met Chatham's gaze.

Thinking to himself, Haji Begic's encouragement was purely based on emotion, but Chatham's was more like an "incentive"—it was almost like saying directly, "As long as you beat them, you'll have a bright future and a lot of money."

really.

Gaio could clearly feel that his teammates' breathing had become heavier.

Chatham knows it all too well.

Bastia now has few veterans; they're mostly young players.

Young people, on the other hand, thrive on a two-pronged approach like that of Haji Begitch and Chatham.

"Alright, I believe you all have your own ideas about the future. So now, put aside all distractions. Don't think about Milan or White Hart Lane. Just remember who we are! Remember where we come from! Remember how we climbed to the top of Ligue 1 step by step. Okay, that's all I have to say. Everyone, get some rest. We're heading to Reims tomorrow."

clap clap clap!
Amidst enthusiastic applause, what could have been a draw of the odds turned into an opportunity for young people to prove themselves to the world.

Yes,

How can one become famous overnight?
Of course, it's about defeating teams stronger than ourselves!
Looking at each of his teammates whose eyes burned with the desire to fight, Gaio couldn't help but wonder, is Bastia really that weak?

There is a disconnect between the outside world's perception of Bastia's potential and strength.

"Weak teams" are not weak at all!
Immediately after the draw ceremony, French media published the results online.

As Hagi Begic and others had predicted, almost everyone was pessimistic about Bastia's Europa League campaign.

"Bastia's Europa League campaign is over!"

"But this is not good news for PSG. With Bastia out of the Europa League, they will definitely focus all their efforts on the league."

(End of this chapter)