The road to godhood starting from Ligue 1

Chapter 180 Why am I unhappy about being in the lead? Because I saw Gaio warming up.
Kondratiev frowned.

This is not good news for him.

During his playing career, he was favored by many coaches for his tough defense and strong tactical discipline.

Therefore, he continued to demand the same of his players throughout his coaching career.

They were required to strictly adhere to tactics, emphasize physical fitness and teamwork, and downplay individualism.

They excel at winning against stronger opponents, building team cohesion, and maximizing the team's potential with limited resources.

of course,

Everything has two sides.

His traits also bring some drawbacks, namely, he is extremely conservative, his games are not very attractive, and when facing stronger opponents, he will only "park the bus" and aim for a draw or a narrow defeat.

For Gaio.

He had long ago laid a trap, trying every possible means to lock Gaio down.

Now Gaio isn't playing!
Kondratiev could only tell the players in the locker room, "Everyone pay attention to energy management, don't let the opponent overwhelm you in the first half, and don't fall into their rhythm."

however,
When the first half of the game actually started, Kondratiev frowned.

France intends to accelerate the process.

Especially on the flanks, Kabaye and Mbiva combined on the right flank, repeatedly attacking the Belarusian defense.

boom!
Boom boom! !
Coupled with the roar of tens of thousands of French fans at the Stade de France, the Belarusian players suffered a double blow, both physically and mentally.

drop!
To make matters worse, in the 26th minute, Ribery made a strong run into the penalty area, cut inside and looked like he was about to shoot, but instead he passed the ball across to Giroud.

This cross resulted in Radkov, who had rushed forward to block Ribery's shot, handling the ball.

Radkov spread his arms, and the ball hit his arm directly, changing its trajectory.

The French players immediately reached out to the referee.

Ribery pounded his arm and yelled at the referee, "Main!"

Handball.

drop!
The referee didn't hesitate much; Radkov's goal was too obvious, and he pointed directly to the penalty spot.

Wow!

The fans at the scene became happy.

Radkov made no appeal whatsoever.

Ribery steps up to take the penalty.

Belarusian goalkeeper Vilenko kept a close eye on Ribery.

Vilenko currently plays for Krylia Sovetov in the Russian Premier League. While not considered a top team, he is still one of the best goalkeepers in Belarus.

drop!
As the referee blew his whistle, Ribery took a breath, started his run, and shot!
Bang!
But the next moment, the football hit the post and bounced back!
The Belarusian players quickly cleared the ball.

Ribery held his head, feeling extremely guilty. He had focused too much on the angle of the shot and missed it by just a little bit.

Hey!
French fans gasped in surprise.

The penalty kick was missed.

The Belarusian players high-fived Vilenko in celebration, shouting "Davay!!"

Kondratiev breathed a slight sigh of relief.

still have a chance.

Deschamps looked up and sighed, then quickly urged his players to intensify their attack, which at least tactically succeeded.

Because Belarus didn't concede the penalty, their morale improved, their defensive efforts increased, and the players' mental state was quite high.

Despite their relentless attacks, the French team consistently failed to deliver the final blow.

The gasps and sighs of regret from the fans at the Stade de France rose and fell.

France missed every attacking opportunity.

The broadcast cameras always give a close-up of Gaio on the bench. Many French fans on the internet lamented, "In the current French team, Gaio is definitely the strongest core player, and Ribery, Giroud, and Valbuena are okay, but the rest of the players look like scraps."

"There's no other way. The team has been in turmoil for so many years and is going through a painful period of transition. Once we get through this period and build the team around Gaio, we'll rise again!"

But how long will this take?
No one knows.

Hey!
France's attacks were ineffective, and Belarus' counter-attacks failed repeatedly. In the 41st minute, thanks to a long pass from Mavkovstov, they finally broke through the French defense!
Rodionov, the lone striker for BATE Borisov, a powerhouse team in the Belarusian Premier League.

He dribbled the ball and sprinted all the way!
Evra couldn't keep up with him, and Sakho was barely managing to distract Rodionov.

However, the latter stumbled and fell, but still managed to create a gap.

Bang!
Entering the penalty area, Rodionov chipped the ball over the onrushing Lloris.

The football went over Lloris and into the net.

Rodionov was incredibly excited at that moment, shouting wildly.

He rushed towards the coaching bench, and the other Belarusian players all rushed over to him, embracing and celebrating together.

The French fans fell silent for a moment.

Deschamps shook his head.

He turned and walked towards the bench, pointing at Gaio, "Gaio, go warm up, or we'll run out of time."

"it is good."

Gaio got up, put on his training vest, and walked toward the warm-up area on the sidelines.

Kondratiev, who was celebrating with great excitement, happened to turn around and see Gaio warming up.

The excitement vanished instantly.

His face darkened.

He patted the players on the back, "Go back and play good defense! There's still half the game left, that's when the real challenge begins! Keep it up!"

“Давай!”

The players responded firmly.

The first half ended with Belarus scoring on their only shot.

0-1.

Deschamps didn't lose his temper in the locker room. The lineup for this match was still being experimented with, and Deschamps hadn't yet found a stable starting lineup.

So even if such a mistake occurs, he can accept it.

But he said, "Conceding a goal isn't scary; what's scary is not being able to score!"

"Gio will be on the field in the second half. We need to continue the tactics from the first half, attack down the flanks, and make sure to suppress the opponent!"

While Deschamps was speaking, Gai was warming up in the locker room warm-up area in preparation for his appearance in the second half.

the other side.

Kondratiev didn't show any excitement about taking the lead. He said, "Why am I unhappy about taking the lead? Because I saw Gaio warming up. I think the coaching staff has made it very clear to you that Gaio is the core of France's attack, and he is our biggest challenge! We must contain him!"

The Belarusian players nodded in agreement.

France's attack in this half was actually very fierce. If it weren't for that missed penalty that gave them a boost, they might have conceded a goal in the first half.

And now,
As Kondratiev said, only when Gaio plays is the French team at its strongest.

The TF1 commentator said the same thing during halftime: "We're only down by one goal, we still have plenty of time. Just after the goal against Belarus, Deschamps did something; he immediately went to the bench to find Gaio, and then Gaio went to warm up."

"Gaião scored the winning goal against Finland in the last match, and we look forward to him scoring in this game as well."

Amidst the anticipation of French fans.

The second half of the game begins.

Gaio has arrived!

(End of this chapter)