The road to godhood starting from Ligue 1

Chapter 283 His Story, the Prologue Just Turned
No one expected Inter Milan to concede the first goal at home, just as no one expected Tottenham to be eliminated by Bastia.

After Bastia withstood Inter's initial counterattack, Inter's offensive momentum gradually weakened.

Inter Milan fans, even the most loyal supporters, are somewhat worried about the current situation.

Why is Bastia's relatively unknown defense so difficult to beat?
Bastia's defense has no star players, and many people didn't even know their names before this match.

What? Kante? Van Dijk? Sidibé?
At most, I have a slight impression of Rothen, but it's just a vague impression, nothing deep.

But it was this very defensive line that effectively shut down Inter Milan.

Palacio, Kovacic, Guarin, and others all felt the same helplessness that Tottenham players felt last month.

at the same time.

As countless eyes were focused on this match, some fans were simply enjoying the football, while others were scrutinizing the players from both teams.

So professional scouts and team managers are observing the players on the field and evaluating whether they are the players their team needs.

From what I've seen so far, Bastia is simply a treasure trove!
Many teams are already eagerly awaiting the opening of the "Bastia Supermarket".

now,

At Deschamps' home in Paris, France.

Zidane returned to France on business and took the opportunity to meet up with old friends.

Deschamps asked him to stay and watch a game before leaving.

Zidane came specifically for Gaio's sake, so he didn't refuse.

The two were focused on the match between Bastia and Inter Milan, from shortly after the start of the game when Bastia scored until now, half an hour later.

Deschamps' smile never faded.

Zidane spoke again about that free kick, saying, "You're in luck. With each additional skill Gaio gains, the French team has more cards to play."

“Of course!” Deschamps nodded and continued, “But Gaio’s greatest strength is still his ability to break down defenses. Look at those counter-attacks before, Zanetti, Cambiasso, Chivu, how embarrassed they were.”

Zidane shook his head. He himself had already retired, yet his former rival was still playing. He laughed and said, "Javier is no longer what he used to be. It's normal that he can't keep up with Gaio."

In fact, if Bastia had been just a little more clinical, they might have already scored their second goal.

"Unfortunately, Inter Milan's ability to capitalize on opportunities is really poor. Just now, Cassano, number 99, was already one-on-one with the goalkeeper, but Darmian still managed to save it."

"This Argentine goalkeeper is good. Wenger has a good eye for talent and was able to discover Darmian. It's a pity he doesn't have the money, otherwise I would have wanted Gaio to go to Arsenal for some experience."

Hear this.

Deschamps shook his head. "Arsenal is not a good fit for Gaio. You know they sell players every year and don't make any signings."

Zidane nodded. "Of course I know. Do you want Gaio to go to Juventus?"

Deschamps smiled; an old friend is an old friend, and he understood Deschamps' thoughts perfectly.

Before Deschamps could speak, Zidane shook his head. "It's not suitable. Serie A is not the Serie A we knew back then. If it were, I would have suggested that Gaio go to Serie A long time ago. Now he is more suited to the Premier League or La Liga."

Real Madrid?

Zidane continued to shake his head, "He's not a good fit for Real Madrid yet. He has the ability, but not the fame. He needs some major titles and individual accolades before Real Madrid will allocate resources to him. Besides, Real Madrid is currently in a turbulent situation, and I know all about it, so I won't let Gaio get involved."

suddenly!

"Geo!!"

A gasp came from the commentator on TV, and the two immediately turned their attention to the screen.

They had just seen Bastia's counterattack, which was advancing.

The commentators were astonished to see Gaio dribble past Cambiasso and Kovacic the instant he received a pass from De Bruyne.

When Gaio receives the ball, he steps on it slightly behind with his left foot, then flicks it to the right from behind, making his body appear to shift his weight to the outside.

Cambiasso immediately stuck it on.

As a result, after Gaio's left foot landed firmly, he hooked his right foot and then pushed his left foot forward with the outside of his foot.

The ball went right through Kovacic's legs as he came up to help defend.

Gaio then accelerated and rushed through the gap between the two.

This scene,
It not only shocked the commentators, but also made the entire audience gasp in amazement.

Many Bastia fans watching the broadcast were extremely anxious because they couldn't see Gaio's movements clearly and had to wait for the replay.

At this point, no one dared to blink.

Watch Gaio's every move intently.

Gaião's quick breakthrough of the first line of defense took Inter Milan's players by surprise.

Stramaccioni, watching from the sidelines, frowned so deeply he could have crushed the football.

Zanetti and Chivu quickly went up to cover.

But Gaio's inside cut was very decisive!

Gaio cut inside along the penalty area line, and Zanetti seized the opportunity, suddenly lunging to intercept the ball.

Gaio was still thinking about how to get past Zanetti when he saw Zanetti extend his leg. He immediately flicked the ball away with a simple flick and swerved, easily dodging the ball and getting rid of him in one go.

The commentators exclaimed in surprise!
"Gaio's footwork is too fast! For someone his height to have that kind of speed is simply amazing! Zanetti made a serious mistake; he was out of position!"

The fans were incredibly tense at this moment. Even if someone stabbed them in the heart, they wouldn't die, because their hearts were in their throats.

Especially for Bastia fans!

Everyone stopped what they were doing and focused all their attention on Gaio.

The edge of the penalty area.

After getting rid of Zanetti, Gaio continued to cut inside, and Chivu came up to block him. Gaio immediately raised his leg and kicked.

Chivu immediately turned his back to block.

It turned out that this was just a feint by Gaio, who then took another step forward.

Another attempt to shoot!
Lukaku had already created space, and Jesus attempted another sliding tackle to block him. Even Chivu, who had just pulled his foot back, was worried that he wouldn't have enough time and would be thrown out.

The two men formed a flying tackle encirclement from the left and right.

Even Handanovic was faked out several times, and he almost flew out of the air.

but,

His unsteady center of gravity was also noticed by Gaio.

Bang!
After his second feint, his third one was no longer a feint; he was incredibly determined to get the ball into the goal.

A powerful kick!
The football, under his curling shot, headed straight for the top corner.

At this point, no one could stop him. Handanovic leaped away with all his might, but he was still just a little short.

There was absolutely no chance of saving the situation.

Swish!
Football in the net!

0-2!

Bastia scores again, and Gaio nets his second goal!

this moment,
The Bastia fans, far away on the French island of Corsica, went wild!

"Geo!"

They shouted wildly, even though they knew Gaio wouldn't hear them, but they still shouted with all their might to release their excitement.

On the field.

Upon seeing the goal, Gaio turned and sprinted towards the corner of the away team's section.

He couldn't hear the roaring waves from Corsica; all he could hear was the thunderous rush of his own blood.

He opened his arms, facing the vast, silent blue-black ocean, and also facing his own little corner of Bastia, ignited by the white away jerseys.

The explosive joy in his chest found an outlet, transforming into a roar that pierced the heavens—

“C’est moi!!”

His teammates surged in from all directions, surrounding him in the very center. In that brief, chaotic moment of darkness, overwhelmed by his teammates, only one incredibly clear and burning thought shone in his mind: This is not a dream!
He truly stood here and conquered this place!
The astonished faces of the Inter Milan players, and every moment of silence from the home fans, were like the sweetest honey, nourishing his fearlessness and pride at his early success.

The thrill of conquest surpasses a thousand words.

now,

The dream that was once out of reach is now arriving in the most dazzling and wildest way!
He felt an unprecedented certainty—his story had only just begun.

The San Siro stadium grew increasingly silent.

But the noise from the Bastia fans and the TF1 commentators was incredibly loud—

"Beautiful! Buuuuut!! Gaio! It's Gaio again! Gaio again! A brace! This is absolutely a crazy night, and it's definitely a signature night for Gaio!"

Compared to the previous free kick, this breakthrough, cut inside, and curl a shot into the top corner is definitely one of Gaio's regular weapons. He played like this in Ligue 2, and it's surprising that he still played like this in the Europa League against former treble-winning Inter Milan.

Courtside.

Stramaccioni's face was ashen, and although he quickly composed himself, his expression remained grave.

Just over thirty minutes into the game, he was down by two goals at home, a situation that made him very uncomfortable.

This is not just about falling behind.

It also means falling behind on away goals! He knew very well how Tottenham had been eliminated, and he quickly came up with a solution.

the other side.

Hagi Bejic celebrated wildly. Although his tactics were mediocre and lacked innovation, he had a bunch of good players to rely on!
Two goals behind.

Inter Milan's players on the field also looked quite helpless, only able to watch their opponents celebrate freely on their home turf.

Surrounded by his teammates, Gaio walked toward the center circle with a big smile on his face.

Along the way, he kept waving towards the away team's area.

Although the away team's area was far from the pitch, he knew they were there and would keep watching him.

Soon the game continued.

Inter Milan slightly increased their attacking intensity, but that was about it.

They still couldn't break through Bastia's defenses.

When the first half stoppage time ended.

drop!
The referee blew his whistle, and the first half ended.

No one expected this score. Perhaps we could have imagined that Bastia would score two goals, but no one expected that Inter Milan would fail to score a single one.

With the tests of two traditional powerhouses, Tottenham and Inter Milan, Bastia's defense is now increasingly coming into the sights of many teams.

Inter Milan fans must have been frustrated in this half, at least Stramaccioni was.

Back to the locker room.

Stramaccioni maintained his composure and didn't waste any words. On his way from the bench to the locker room, he had already sorted out his thoughts for the entire first half and knew what to say.

He didn't waste any words and went straight to the point, "Alright, guys, lift your heads, don't be so down. There are still 45 minutes left. This isn't the end of the world, but this score..."

Stramaccioni shook his head slightly. "This score is unacceptable, especially at the San Siro, especially when we were in control."

He asked the assistant coach to bring over the tactics board, which had some data on it.

Sma showed it to the players.

"Look at these numbers: possession, shots, corner kicks. These stats should have led to goals, not a 0-2 deficit! What's the problem? Efficiency! It's absolutely an efficiency problem!"

At this point, Sima looked at Inter Milan's attacking group, "How many times have we advanced the ball to the edge of the penalty area? How many times have we created space on the flanks and in the half-spaces? But look at the results, the choices were terrible!"

Stramaccioni's gaze sharpened as he spoke, and he looked particularly at the two forwards.

"Cassano, with your skill, you should have easily won that one-on-one opportunity."

"And you, Rodrygo, where was the power and angle in your header inside the penalty area?! Against a towering goalkeeper like Bastia, a half-high ball was just giving him an opening! You need to aim for angles, be tricky, and be decisive!"

"In the second half, I need you to be ruthless! Like killers! Opportunities are earned, not wasted!"

He reiterated his pre-match offensive strategy, emphasizing once again that the players must strictly adhere to it.

In Stramaccioni's vision, the situation would definitely not be like this.

Subsequently,

He also discussed the two goals conceded in the first half.

"As for the first of the two goals conceded, it was my fault. I must admit that I didn't do a good job of pre-match intelligence. We didn't know that Gaio had that kind of kick. Handanovic did his best. You can't defend against a free kick that's in the corner."

"But the second one!"

"Watch the replay! Javier, you've been outplayed! Why did you make such a reckless tackle? Gaio, the whole world knows! What you should be doing is positioning yourself, delaying the attack, and calling for backup! Chivu is right there!"
Furthermore, didn't you think our defense looked terrible throughout the first half? An 18-year-old kid repeatedly broke through our entire right flank.

The Inter Milan players remained silent; they were powerless to refute it, for it was simply the truth.

Although Bastia had few attacking opportunities.

But each time, it left Inter Milan's defense in a very difficult position.

Stramaccioni did not delve further into the matter, and instead went on to discuss defensive arrangements.

"Listen! That Gaio, he'll be charging again in the second half! Javier, in the second half I need you to be more focused, reduce your forward runs, and as soon as he gets going, Esteban, you need to immediately move closer to compress the space! Don't let him get going!"

Tactical foul when necessary.

Unlike Inter Milan's serious atmosphere.

In the Bastia locker room on the other side of the tunnel, Hagi Begic kept praising the players' performance: "The offense is fierce, the defense is solid, keep it up."

That's probably what it means.

After saying a few words, Haji Begichi mainly told them to take a break.

Defending is also tiring.

The players chatted with each other, all wearing smiles that said, "Wow, we're really that good!" And they actually beat Inter Milan 2-0 at their home stadium.

Although Bastia's lineup has undergone significant changes this season, players like Angura, Joplin, and Kahusac still manage to secure regular starting positions.

And they were just players in the French National League and Ligue 2 back then.

In the corner, Angola has a faint scar visible near his eyebrow, a mark left from the match against Tottenham.

He unscrewed a bottle of water and slowly sipped it. His eyes, which had witnessed the muddy pitches of the French National League and the storms of Ligue 2, scanned the locker room.

His gaze swept over his teammates, who were also panting but had smiles on their faces.

A powerful sense of realization and warmth washed over him.

Once upon a time, he, Kahusac, Joplin, and others were fighting tooth and nail for promotion spots. Back then, the locker room was filled with the oppressive feeling of struggling for survival, the tension about the outcome of the game, and the fear of the unpredictable result.

And at this moment, in the world-famous San Siro temple, these outdated old bones are actually dancing together with this group of young people on the center stage of the Europa League!

Reflecting on his experiences over the past twenty years, Angula couldn't help but smile.

Who could have imagined that a guy who went homeless at eight, became a professional Muay Thai fighter at thirteen, went to prison at twenty, and had never had any football training, could become a key defender for a Europa League Round of 16 team at the age of 31?
Angula couldn't help but look at Gaio.

He admires Gaio.

He also knows Gaio very well.

Perhaps it's because they've both been to prison, or perhaps it's because they both started very different lives after their release.

Therefore,
On the court, whenever Gaio was provoked or targeted by the opponent, Angola would rush to help Gaio immediately.

When he saw Gaio, it was more like seeing his younger self.

of course,

Gaio has a more powerful talent and a higher potential.

Angula wanted to protect this child.

Let's consider it as protecting that adrift, helpless self from our youth.

Gaio felt a gaze upon him.

He turned his head and met Angula's gaze; the two smiled at each other.

Gaio turned around, and De Bruyne was still talking, "That was really cool, really good. If you keep going like this, I'll have nothing left to teach you."

They were just talking about Gaio's free kick.

Gaio smiled and said, "No, I can't learn your passing technique."

De Bruyne didn't believe him. "Because you play as a winger, I believe that if you want to switch to playing as a playmaker, you can definitely develop your passing skills."

Gaio remained silent.

But he found that De Bruyne was increasingly idolizing him, always feeling that he could do anything.

soon.

Halftime is over.

Both teams' players returned to the field with their respective head coaches' instructions for the halftime break.

After entering.

Zanetti gave Gaio a deep look.

Zanetti will turn forty this August. Since coming to Inter Milan from Argentina, he has given his all to the club.

Currently, he has made 800 appearances!
The greatest player in Inter Milan's history!
He surpassed many legends in Inter Milan's history, such as Bergomi, Facchetti, and Mazzola.

And he continues to extend this record.

He has seen many geniuses in Serie A—Maradona, Batistuta, Van Basten, Baggio, Ronaldo, and so many more, all of whom were absolutely amazing.

The current Gaio gives him a familiar feeling.

Zanetti called this feeling "superstar potential," and barring any unforeseen circumstances, Gaião will become the answer to an era of attacking prowess.

Not even one.

After facing Gaio for half the game, Zanetti realized just how difficult Gaio was to deal with.

Zanetti's twenty years of professional experience cannot compare to a moment of genius.

soon.

When the players returned to the center circle, the referee blew his whistle again.

drop!
The second half begins!
(End of this chapter)