The road to godhood starting from Ligue 1

Chapter 238 Advancement to the knockout stage ahead of schedule

"Klose is one of the younger players in the Bastia team. He hasn't played many games this season, but he has provided an assist. Considering that he was playing in the fifth tier last season, his performance this season has been very good."

After briefly introducing Klose, the TF1 commentator said, "Is Haji Begic going to change tactics at the last minute? Klose's offensive attributes are clearly stronger than his defensive attributes."

After Klose came on, he was clearly a little nervous, and his first move was to give Turan a free kick, conceding a goal to Atletico Madrid.

Klose looked like he was going all out on the ball, but actually he was faked out and lost his balance after being tricked by Turan, forcing him to foul to recover. Turan's fall was also a bit over the top.

Fortunately, the referee did not issue a card.

Gaio patted him on the shoulder, "Mark him closely, don't kick randomly, don't fall for feints, just follow him, he's not fast."

Kross nodded. He often overlooked Gaio's age. Even though Gaio was more than two years younger than him, it was as if Gaio was not only not younger than him, but not even the same age as him.

Somewhat too calm and mature.

Atletico Madrid's free kick wasn't taken immediately, prompting Simeone to make his first substitution.

Replace Raúl García with Diego Costa.

Similar to Hagi Begic's idea, Simeone also wanted to intensify the attack in the final moments.

A draw is not something Atletico Madrid can easily accept.

Costa took the field with a determined look in his eyes. This 24-year-old, who came up through Barcelona's RJ youth academy, has made rapid progress in the past two years.

Costa's relationship with Atletico Madrid is rather complicated. In 2007, Atletico Madrid spent 150 million euros to buy him from Braga.

However, for the next two years, he was loaned out repeatedly and never got to play a proper match for Atlético Madrid. In 2009, Atlético Madrid let him leave as a free agent. Valladolid was signed on a free transfer for a year, but Atlético Madrid changed their minds and decided to buy him back for 100 million euros.

He was bought but not used to, so he was loaned out last season, until this season when Simeone decided to use him as a backup center forward.

And their performance is getting better and better.

Costa's introduction poses a significant threat to Bastia's defense.

"Watch out for them! Watch out for them!" Luo Teng kept looking left and right, directing his teammates to keep an eye on the players.

Everyone in Bastia knew that the last ten minutes or so were the most crucial.

Bang!
Turan kicked the ball out, and it went straight for the newly substituted Costa.

But Anguilla is very cunning. Being shorter than Costa, he would position himself in front of Costa, greatly limiting Costa's ability to head the ball.

really.

Costa had a difficult time making a move on that ball; he headed it too high, and the ball went over the crossbar.

Bastia kicked the ball out.

The two sides continued to fight, seemingly switching sides, yet also appearing to remain the same.

In the 81st minute, Simeone made another substitution, replacing Adrian Lopez with young player Koke.

Koke's footwork was incredibly skillful, complementing Turan perfectly. Together, the two of them gave Bastia's defense a real headache, especially with Falcao and Costa also in front of them.

but,

This means Atletico Madrid's attacks down the flanks will have to rely on their full-backs overlapping.

Atletico Madrid's defense is gradually weakening.

Bang!
In the 84th minute, Falcao received a through ball from Koke and volleyed it, but the ball narrowly missed the post and went out of play.

Bastia has even had Lukaku retreat to the defensive zone; there's no way around it, the pressure is just too great.

Hagi Begitch was also glad he didn't bring Klose on earlier.

On Klose's side, Turan couldn't be stopped one-on-one at all. Fortunately, Rothen could come to cover at any time, and Gaio would also drop back to help.

As time dwindled, the cheers at the Thessaloniki stadium grew louder and louder.

"They're heading for a draw. Bastia doesn't have a single attacking player in their front line right now. A draw would be perfectly acceptable for Bastia. That way, they'd still be first in the group, and they'd have the initiative in the remaining group matches." The TF1 commentator was giving a normal commentary when he suddenly exclaimed, "Oh my god! Klose!!"

boom!
At the same time, a roar erupted from the Cesarí stadium as Turan attempted a one-two run down the wing, only to be intercepted by Rothen.

"run!"

Rothen shouted at Klose on the other side and passed the ball to the path in front of Klose.

Without a second thought, Klose sprinted forward!
He unleashed his full speed.

this moment,
He remained incredibly calm as he ran, observing his opponents and teammates.

He saw that Felipe wasn't coming up to block him, but was chasing Gaio.

Gaio had now moved to the center position, replacing Lukaku.

As Gaio sprinted, he also kept an eye on Klose's position.

Both of them were moving forward at a rapid pace.

Godin and Felipe double-teamed Gaio, but Klose had a clear path down the flank.

Mane on the left wing also exerted all his energy to come forward and support.

"The speed of this counterattack is amazing!" Soriano exclaimed. He had to admit that Bastia's attack had really gotten him excited.

Mbappe saw Kroos sprinting down the wing and shouted, "Charge! Charge!"

The surrounding fans were also raising their arms and cheering.

At this point, Felipe had no choice but to come over and check on Klose; otherwise, Klose could charge straight into the penalty area.

Godin and Miranda are already in Gaio's position.

When Gaio was about to enter the penalty area.

Bang!
Without hesitation, Klose delivered a long diagonal pass directly to Gaio.

Finally, the pass was made. Gaio had actually wanted Kroos to pass the ball for a long time. He was confident that he could break through Godin and Miranda's double-team. In order to avoid offside, he kept his speed controlled.

The soccer ball flew over.

Gaio, in a berserk state, suddenly took two steps forward, catching Godin and Miranda off guard.

Godin's expression changed, and he tried to pull Gaio away, but he had already been pushed aside.

Courtois has already made his move.

He rushed toward the ball, trying to catch it first, but the ball was falling faster than he could go.

Courtois rushed over, and Gaio turned sideways to stop the ball at his feet. The ball did not bounce at all and landed safely at Gaio's feet.

Wow!

This ball control left many fans bewildered, with only one thought in their minds: "Is this even possible?"
The moment Gaio stopped the ball, he pushed it forward, twisted his body, and charged forward.

The ball passed!

Facing the goalkeeper, Gaio dribbled past him with a one-man pass!
boom!
The stadium erupted in cheers, with fans displaying expressions of disbelief.

Even the fans watching the broadcast were stunned, and the commentators were speaking in a loud and intense tone.

Courtois never expected Gaio to play like this.

He instinctively brought his legs together, but the ball had already passed through. Gaio took two quick steps and shot.

Another full-back, Juanfran, made a flying tackle in an attempt to clear the danger off the line, but it was all in vain.

The ball rolled into the net without any obstruction.

Then Juanfran slid into the net.

drop!
The referee pointed to the center circle, indicating that the goal was valid.

1-0.

Bastia scored a near-decisive goal in the 88th minute!

"Geo!"

"Geo!!"

The entire Cesar stadium was silent except for one name.

The fans were shouting wildly, excitedly, and unrestrainedly.

They waved everything in their hands, making the azure sea churn endlessly in the Cesarian stadium!

When Gaio saw the ball go in, he was so excited that he rushed towards the stands, taking off his jersey and throwing it aside on the way.

Not only did he rush to the stands, but Gaio also stood directly on the railing.

Facing the fervent fans in the stands before him, he closed his eyes, slightly raised his head, and opened his arms, listening to the roar of the stadium at that moment.

"Geo!!"

At this moment, there is only madness!
The Bastia players rushed towards Gaio, and the substitutes also rushed towards them.

Gaio climbed down from the railing, surrounded by his teammates. Everyone was incredibly excited, saying all sorts of things, but up there they couldn't hear each other at all. They had only one thought: win, and they would advance!
They've advanced to the knockout stage ahead of schedule!
Haji Begichi knelt down and roared to the sky, and the teaching assistants came up and hugged him.

In the stands, Mbappe, Saliba, Chatham, and others were just like the fans, full of passion and cheering enthusiastically.

For Bastia,
Also known as Gaio.

Even Soriano and Begiristain couldn't help but stand up and applaud Gaio's near-game-winning shot.

"A perfect combination of skill and mentality, he is the future of Manchester City, buy him at all costs!"

Amidst the jubilation, Soriano made his decision.

Simeone stood on the sidelines, grimacing but forced to accept the fact that Bastia had defeated him twice.

Before being drawn against Bastia, he didn't even know what team Bastia was.

He failed to win either of the two rounds.

But he still had one last glimmer of hope, and he shouted to the equally dejected Atletico Madrid players, "A few more minutes! There's still time!"

Yes, they still have time.

But after more than 80 minutes of attacking play, they couldn't score. Could they do it in the last few minutes?
Seeing Bastia caught up in the jubilation, the Atletico Madrid players began to doubt themselves.

This self-doubt intensified after the competition resumed.

Gaio scores, Bastia takes the lead, and the entire team retreats even more thoroughly.

At this moment, the Cesarian stadium was engulfed in a frenzy, with the roar sweeping through every corner.

In the final moments, Atletico Madrid disregarded ball control and tactics, focusing solely on crossing the ball!

Whenever there was an opportunity, he would cross the ball repeatedly.

But Bastia is now like a reef in the sea, unmoved.

Four minutes of added time, every second ticking away.

The increasingly anxious mood of the Atlético Madrid players contrasted sharply with the ever-rising morale of the Bastia players.

Lukaku has already dropped back to the defensive line to defend with his head.

Kanté repeatedly clung to Kirk and every player in his defensive zone.

Even though De Bruyne was exhausted, he still resolutely rushed forward to intercept his opponent.

Every Bastia player is giving it their all.

until,

That heavenly voice rang out.

drop!--

The match is over!
The stadium in Thessaloniki erupted into a frenzy, with fans in the stands shouting, jumping, and burning with passion for victory.

They advanced!
Atletico Madrid players stood dejectedly on the pitch, watching their opponents celebrate.

Many of the Bastia players lay directly on the grass, exhausted, but their faces were all smiles.

Worth it!

The TF1 commentators kept congratulating Bastia on their early qualification for the Europa League knockout stage.

Meanwhile, the commentator also said, "The fourth round of the Europa League group stage has concluded. The scores were largely predictable: Tottenham won, Newcastle drew, Bayer Leverkusen, Stuttgart, and Hannover all won, Borussia Mönchengladbach drew, and in Serie A, only Udinese lost, while Inter Milan, Lazio, and Napoli all won."

Napoli's Cavani also scored four goals, becoming the most dazzling attacker of this round.

Among the upsets, Liverpool's 0-1 away defeat to Anzhi and Atletico Madrid's 0-1 away defeat to Bastia were definitely the most surprising.

Bastia was the most surprising team, defeating Atletico Madrid twice and advancing to the next round early.

and,

The other European fans watching this match because of Atletico Madrid were not familiar with Bastia before, because the French league has very little influence in Europe and is only followed by scouts, mainly to scout young talents.

Most fans prefer watching their domestic league, and even when watching foreign leagues, La Liga and the English Premier League are the most popular these days.

Atletico Madrid's performance in La Liga this season has been remarkable.

And now they've been defeated twice by Bastia!

Bastia advanced to the next round ahead of schedule.

This is something that absolutely no one expected.

Bastia, just an unknown little club, how did they manage to beat Atletico Madrid twice?

However, when they saw that Gaio was worth a staggering 6000 million euros, they understood.

Isn't this a typical dark horse team?

The team might see a dramatic improvement in performance due to the outstanding performance of a few players, but once those players leave, the team will return to its previous state.

There are far too many examples like this.

The most famous example is the 2003-04 Champions League final between Monaco and Porto.

After the departures of key players like Giuly, Morientes, Rothen, and Evra, Monaco even ended up relegated to Ligue 2 in recent years.

The same was true for Porto. Head coach Mourinho and key players such as Deco, Carvalho, and Ferreira all left after winning the title, and the glory days were over.

right now,

Many people naturally attribute Bastia's success to players like Gaio, De Bruyne, and Lukaku.

Therefore, many people didn't think much about Bastia itself, but were instead thinking about whether their favorite team could buy these young talents.

of course,

Inter Milan is still the most talked-about team in this round of the Europa League.

As the match in Bastia came to a close, Inter Milan's match also ended a few minutes early.

Inter Milan defeated Partizan Belgrade 3-1 thanks to a strong second-half performance.

They not only achieved a 10-game winning streak in all competitions, but also set a miraculous record of 10 wins in 10 away games.

Looking across all the major leagues in Europe, only Inter Milan has such a winning streak away from home.

Inter Milan not only won the match, but also qualified for the knockout stage with two rounds to spare. The last time they qualified for the knockout stage of a European competition with two rounds to spare was eight years ago in the Champions League group stage.

With ten consecutive wins in all competitions, plus ten consecutive away wins, this record is absolutely unmatched in Europe.

No one in European competitions has achieved such impressive results. In the past week, both Barcelona and Atletico Madrid have suffered away defeats. Although Juventus is still unbeaten away from home this season, they have had several draws, such as a 2-2 draw against Chelsea and a 1-1 draw against Nordsjælland.

Turin.

Marotta had just finished watching two matches and was muttering things like, "It's just the Europa League," and "We're playing in the Champions League."

The assistant didn't say anything more.

He could tell that Marotta was in a bad mood.

Although Juventus finally secured a resounding victory after three consecutive draws in the group stage two days ago, defeating Nordsjælland 4-0.

But Marotta was clearly not satisfied with that.

He wants to bring in reinforcements.

However, it is now basically confirmed that Juventus will withdraw from the race for Gaião.

Gaio is too expensive.

Andrea was not very supportive of the team's all-out effort to sign Gaio. Rather than investing heavily in football, the Agnelli family preferred to put their money into F1.

This is why Marotta was in a bad mood after the team's big win.

It can only be said that Gaio's rise was too rapid, and Marotta couldn't keep up.

In particular, Gaio delivered the game-winning shot at the crucial moment in this match.

What a genius!

Two Europa League matches, two victories against Atletico Madrid, leading the team to advance to the knockout stage as the core player, and only 18 years old. At this stage, it is difficult for any Serie A team other than Juventus to take on such a player.

Now that Juventus has also given up, the decline of Serie A is evident.

Marotta wasn't the type to hesitate. After learning that the team wouldn't fully support the signing of Gaio, he quickly turned his attention to the next player.

Tevez.

Manchester City is planning a major overhaul this season, and Carlos Tevez is likely to be one of the players to be let go.

Marotta decided to try and snag a bargain.

This is the kind of transfer maneuver he excels at.

(End of this chapter)