The road to godhood starting from Ligue 1

Chapter 266 So you're the fastest horse on the flank?

As the bus traveled through the streets of Harringay and headed toward White Hart Lane, Tottenham fans filled the windows.

Their faces were filled with smiles and anticipation.

Tottenham are on a revival.

This is what Tottenham fans are thinking.

As the only English team to win the FA Cup as a non-league team and the first team to achieve a double, they have a rich history.

In the late 19th century, Tottenham was an industrial area in North London, and its working class formed the earliest fan base for Tottenham Hotspur.

Following World War II, an influx of immigrants led to the formation of diverse communities, and White Hart Lane became a symbol of cohesion that transcended class and race.

Even now, die-hard Tottenham fans remain in the Harrington area, arguing endlessly with Islington's arch-rivals.

“This place is a bit bigger than our Cesar Stadium,” Rothen joked.

“This is London,” Joplin laughed.

The complex and intertwined history between England and France could fill many books, yet for ordinary people, these two countries are also the most familiar to each other.

Gaio listened to his teammates talking while quietly observing the world outside the car window.

This was his first time visiting White Deer Lane.

I previously visited Kearney when I was with the national U21 team, and it seems that White Hart Lane is not as impressive as their arch-rivals.

It appears that Tottenham Hotspur has already applied to Harlingay council for permission to redevelop the new White Hart Lane.

"Let's go, let's go! A tough battle is about to begin. Let's show these spineless Englishmen the spirit of Bastia!"

As the team bus drove into the stadium, Kahusaz shouted.

For these veterans of Ligue 2, everything they are experiencing now is a life they never imagined before.

After all, they basically imagine dominating the Champions League, not the Europa League.

Therefore, the Europa League is actually in a gap between dreams and reality.

Now, they've crawled in.

Gaio got up to get off the bus, occasionally glancing at Kant staring blankly at the dense crowd.

Gaio walked over and patted him on the shoulder. "It's just a game."

Kanté snapped out of his daze and smiled at Gaio.

During his time at Bastia for most of the season, Kanté often felt like he was in a dream, as they were top of Ligue 1 and had made it to the Europa League knockout stage.

They defeated Atletico Madrid twice, and they beat Paris Saint-Germain.

As such.

It is impacting Kanté's football world.

Bastia is just a small island; you only see its name when you're in geography class.

Gaio responded with a smile, then got out of the car with the others.

Kanté quickly got up and got out of the car as well.

"Geo!"

"Defeat them! We are Bastia!"

"Fight, Bastia!"

Bastia fans, outside of security personnel, cheered loudly for the players.

Every time Kanté heard these things, he felt a strange, indescribable feeling in his chest—an impulse, an impulse to win.

He wanted to dedicate all his abilities to these fans.

Kante caught up with his teammates.

"Ngoro! Go for it!!"

He thought he heard fans calling his name. Kanté turned around and vaguely saw someone waving at him. Kanté grinned at him.

Then turn around.

Kanté breathed a sigh of relief; he wanted to bring a victory to these fans.

He repeated Gaio's words in his mind, 'Yes, it's just a game.'

boom!
Boom boom! !
As the players from both sides entered the field to warm up, cheers erupted throughout White Hart Lane.

Broadcasts around the world are already in place, and pre-match introductions have begun.

ITV, England's second-largest television operator, broadcasts UEFA matches in their entirety, sharing the rights with the BBC.

ITV had been hyping up the Tottenham vs. Bastia match well in advance.

Because it's really popular!
ITV commentator Clive Terdesley said, "I believe there are still many people who don't know Bastia. Believe me, they are definitely not an easy team to play against. They have achieved amazing results this season. You know, last season they were a Ligue 2 team, and the season before that they were a national team. Three seasons, three leagues!"

They were promoted to Ligue 2 as the second-place team in the French National League, and then promoted to Ligue 1 as the champions of Ligue 2. Now they are leading Ligue 1!
"There's a full seven points between us and second-placed Paris Saint-Germain. With more than ten rounds of league matches remaining, I believe that's an absolutely huge advantage."

Terdesley kept recounting Bastia's achievements this season, which was particularly eye-catching when all of this was linked to a newly promoted team.

Many English fans watching the broadcast were indeed amazed.

"And the person who made all of this possible is Bastia's most anticipated player tonight, Jan Gaio!" Tildesley continued.
This is absolutely the most amazing young player in French football, or even European football. At only 18 years old, his market value has already reached the top ten in the world. He has top-notch ball control and ball-carrying ability. This season, his direct goal involvement is second only to Messi of Barcelona. He has even surpassed another Ballon d'Or winner, Cristiano Ronaldo. Bastia's current achievements are directly related to Gaio's performance.

Tonight, Gaio will also face off against Bell, who has also been playing at a top level this season.

As time slowly passed.

The song "Glory Glory Tottenham Hotspur" echoed through White Hart Lane—

“Spurs are the greatest team the world has ever seen
Come on, Spurs!

The sound of singing filled the air.

As the players from both sides walked out of the locker room, the Bastia players kept adjusting their breathing.

Most of them were playing in the European knockout stage for the first time.

I was a little nervous.

Fortunately, this tension was gradually suppressed as the start of the competition approached.

"Go!"

When the time was up, the referee signaled for both teams' players to follow him out of the tunnel.

As captain, Gaio was the first person from Bastia to enter White Hart Lane.

The chants of "Glory belongs to Tottenham" continue to echo.

The peak was reached as the players entered the field!
Gaio actually listens to "Glory Glory Man United" more often.

After all, Manchester United has had a better record in recent years and they are one of the clubs with the most fans in the world. So many people have never heard that Glory belongs to Tottenham and instead think that Tottenham is copying Manchester United.

In fact, this song by Tottenham Hotspur appeared much earlier, first appearing in the 1960s, when Tottenham Hotspur was at its peak, with no one able to surpass them in winning the double.

Manchester United's version didn't appear until 1983.

Flags fluttered at White Hart Lane stadium.

A pure white.

"Gareth! Gareth!!" Tottenham fans chanted Bale's name passionately.

As they entered and turned around, Gaio and Bell's eyes met by chance.

At this moment, Bell was in high spirits, and he saw a slight smile on Gaio's lips.

Gaio, on the other hand, remained rather indifferent.

Their eyes met briefly before disappearing from each other's gazes. As the opening ceremony progressed, the Tottenham fans grew increasingly boisterous and restless.

Gaio gave Bastia the right to kick off.

Center circle.

The referee stared at his watch, at the exact moment the time was up.

drop! !

With a long whistle, the competition officially began.

Lukaku passed the ball back, and De Bruyne controlled the tempo, not passing it forward but continuing to pass it back.

Tottenham, on the other hand, pressed Bastia's formation from the very start.

After the opening ceremony, Tildesley introduced the starting lineups for both teams.

"Tottenham's formation is the same as their usual starting lineup: 4-2-3-1."

Adebayor, the lone striker;
Following them are Lennon, Dempsey, and Bell;
The two defensive midfielders are Dembele and Scott Parker;

In defense, the two full-backs are Kyle Walker and Asou Hector, and the two center-backs are Gallas and Vertonghen.

Goalkeeper Friedel

"As for Bastia, their formation is not their usual formation. It can be seen that they are in a 5-3-2 formation with three center-backs."

With Gaio and Lukaku leading the attack, Bastia's sharpest spearhead is the counter-attack.

Behind them was the midfield consisting of Kanté, Rothen, and De Bruyne.

The back line consists of two new full-backs, Klose and Sidibé, and three center-backs, Van Dijk, Angola, and Kahusac.

Goalkeeper Damian.
It's worth mentioning that Bastia's starting lineup is actually half a "Premier League squad." Lukaku and De Bruyne are both on loan from Chelsea, Darmian is on loan from Tottenham's arch-rivals Arsenal, and Gaio was previously a Chelsea player. OMG! Gareth!

Just as Tildesley was introducing the formations of both sides, a gasp suddenly erupted throughout the stadium.

As soon as Tottenham gained possession, Bale put on a show of outrunning them with his speed.

Dempsey passed the ball from midfield to the wing. Bale slowed down slightly just before receiving the ball, making Klose, who was marking him, think he could intercept the ball and actively move towards it.

As a result, Bale suddenly accelerated and moved the ball behind Klose. Klose shifted his weight forward and couldn't turn around in time, so Bale outmaneuvered him.

however,
Just when everyone thought Bale could accelerate and cut inside, a blue figure appeared.

Gaio!

Gaio accelerated toward Bell, without making many defensive moves, just following Bell and blocking his inside game.

Wow!

Tottenham fans were surprised again; Gaio's speed seemed a bit fast too.
They could see clearly that Gaio rushed out from behind Cross and caught up with Bell.

"Beautiful Gaio!"

Meanwhile, the French TF1 commentator excitedly exclaimed, "So you think you're the fastest winger? So what if Bale? Gaio isn't slow either!"

On the field.

Seeing that he couldn't shake off Gaio, Bale passed the ball to Asu Hector, who came up to receive it.

Hector's hairstyle was definitely the most eye-catching one in the entire venue, a super afro.

After receiving the ball, he quickly moved forward, but Klose was already in position.

Bang!
Hector passed the ball diagonally forward, and Bale accelerated to get past Gaio, hoping to break through the defense on that side with this combination.

however,
Gai was still able to catch up with him. Although he didn't stop Bale from having the ball, he was always in front of Bale.

Bell made several feints, trying to shift Gaio's center of gravity.

But Gaio remained unmoved.

He was simply sensing the shift in Bell's center of gravity.

Before the match, Hagi Bejic approached him and said, "You have to help with the defense on the flanks. I know it will be a test of your stamina, and I also know that your defensive experience is average. But I can tell you how to defend against Bale. You don't need to intercept his ball, and you don't need to stop him from receiving the ball. You just need to follow him and block him."

So Gaio never intended to intercept Bell; he just wanted to be a nuisance.

Seeing that he couldn't shake off Gaio, Bell decided to drive hard.

He flicked the ball.

As a result, a blue-black shadow flashed out.

Kante!

He slid in and shoved the ball out of bounds.

Bell was somewhat frustrated to see his attempt thwarted in this way.

But he felt that Bastia couldn't stop him; if once didn't work, he would try twice, three times, and there would always be a chance.

When the ball is kicked out.

Tottenham then shifted their attack down the right flank, sending Lennon to break through. Lennon, another speedster, combined with Kyle Walker, to tear apart the defenses of many Premier League teams.

but,

They also encountered trouble.

Sidibe is dark-skinned and tough, and quite fast. Plus, he has teammates to cover for him, so there's nothing to worry about.

Tottenham's strength usually lies in speed on the flanks, but this time, Bastia has outmaneuvered both of them.

Tottenham's attack was forced into positional play, slowly creating space.

The pace slowed down.

This displeased Villas-Boas on the sidelines, who frowned as he watched the situation on the field.

After witnessing Bastia's performance over those few minutes, his expression turned slightly serious; Bastia was indeed quite something.

Bastia's cobbled-together lineup was completely unexpected.

However, a problem still arose!

In the flank area, Rothen was a step too slow, Kanté was taken away by Dempsey, Walker moved forward, and Lennon tucked in.

In an instant, a vacuum was created in Lennon's defensive zone against Rothen.

Bang!
His teammate immediately passed the ball to Lennon, who didn't hesitate and unleashed a powerful shot!
The ball flew between the defenders. After all, Bastia rarely plays with three center-backs, so there is actually more space than with two center-backs, mainly because the players are not familiar with it.

but,

The moment the ball flew towards the goal, Damian leaped to the finish line.

He pushed the ball out of bounds.

Wow!
A cheer erupted from the crowd; it was Tottenham's first shot, and it came incredibly close to scoring.

Terdesley joked, "It seems Darmian still has Arsenal blood running through his veins, refusing to let Tottenham score. I wonder if Adebayor will have a chance from this corner kick; he scored 62 goals in his three-plus seasons with Arsenal."

Tottenham have a corner kick opportunity.

The players from both sides kept pushing and shoving each other inside the penalty area.

Dempsey took the kick, and before Adebayor could even jump, Van Dijk pinned him down and headed the ball out of the penalty area.

Adebayor fell to the ground, and Van Dijk turned and gave him a disdainful look.

Adebayor was still gesturing for a foul.

However, after the referee signaled that there was no foul, he immediately turned and ran towards the center circle.

Bastia is attacking!

Van Dijk headed the ball out and it was received by Gaio on the outside. Without any hesitation, Gaio charged forward with the ball!
This is Bastia's chance!
(End of this chapter)