The road to godhood starting from Ligue 1

Chapter 268 Lost in Talent: White Hart Lane
Bang!
Kante made a long pass without looking at where it would land; he simply passed it forward.

But Bastia was always ready to counterattack, and Lukaku immediately burst out with speed after seeing Kanté pass the ball.

With Gaio's outstanding performance as an example, he also wanted to show off.

He believed that Chelsea would definitely have people watching this match against their North London rivals.

He wanted to make a name for himself.

Although Bastia is a good player, Lukaku would prefer to secure a stable position at Chelsea given Gaio's impending departure.

So he charged forward aggressively in this match against Tottenham.

This time, it's the same!

Gallas and Vertonghen stopped him, bringing Lukaku down in midfield.

drop!
The referee immediately pulled out a yellow card and pointed it at Gala.

Gallas shook his head helplessly. This veteran French center-back was once a mainstay of the French defense, but unfortunately, he is now old and can't keep up with Lukaku at all without committing a foul.

Gallas joined Tottenham on a free transfer from Arsenal in August 2010 and quickly became the team's defensive linchpin and spiritual leader.

With his rich experience, excellent physical qualities and keen defensive awareness, he is capable of playing as a center-back and a full-back.

The most famous example is his goal-line clearance against AC Milan in the 2011 Champions League Round of 16, which saved the team from advancing to the quarterfinals.

Based on his outstanding contributions, he renewed his contract in March 2011 until 2013.

As of February 2013, Gallas had made 78 appearances for Tottenham, scoring one goal, and was an indispensable pillar for the team in their fight for a top-four finish in the Premier League and in European competitions.

Although his stints at Chelsea, Arsenal, and Tottenham Hotspur have drawn controversy, earning him the label of "traitor," his professional attitude during his time at Tottenham was highly praised by the manager, Harry Redknapp, who lauded him as "not greedy and extremely professional."

At least for now, he remains an indispensable defender for Tottenham.

Now that he has received a yellow card, it is actually somewhat troublesome for Tottenham.

Bastia's forwards are also known for their speed.

In the recent period of time, Tottenham has already witnessed this firsthand.

Bastia's free kick.

De Bruyne and Rothen stood in front of the football.

The position was far from the goal, and neither player was prepared to execute any tactical plays.

Rothen simply came up to help create some space, and De Bruyne made a cross pass to Sidibé on the left wing.

Gaio is currently under complete and tight defense.

You could say Villas-Boas is stubborn, but you can't call him stupid. In the goal Gaio just scored, Gaio's performance completely shattered his previous ideas, so now Gaio is always surrounded by two defenders.

The pressure on the Sidibé side that was covered was relatively less.

Sidibé charged directly into the penalty area with the ball, but he didn't have a significant advantage in terms of speed against Kyle Walker.

Furthermore, he is not a player who drives the ball forward.

The ball was passed back to De Bruyne in the middle.

De Bruyne was also double-teamed in midfield by Dempsey and Lennon, who had dropped back.

but,

As De Bruyne turned to dribble back, he suddenly paused, flicked the ball again, twisted his body, and faked out both players!
Wow!

De Bruyne's move surprised White Hart Lane fans, who realized that Bastia and his players were indeed quite capable.

Bastia's only weakness is their defense.

After observing the team's coordination in the attacking third for the past half hour, Tottenham fans have to admit that they are indeed very strong.

The moment De Bruyne turned around, Gaio had already made his run.

Drive forward at full speed!

He knew the ball would come!

Bang!
Sure enough, De Bruyne launched a long pass, lobbing it behind Scott and Hector.

Gaio started early, and once it got ahead, it kept getting ahead.

He rushed between the two men so quickly that Hector didn't even have time to reach out and pull him back.

He was then thrown past Gaio.

The pass was a bit too deep, and Gaio had to accelerate twice to catch up with it.

hiss!
This speed once again stirred up a stir in White Hart Lane.

Gaio has the ball.

Before Hector could get up, he quickly cut inside, and Vertonghen quickly covered, blocking Gaio's path.

at the same time.

Bastia's attacking players had already started running, with De Bruyne and Rothen making runs forward, leaving Kante as the lone defensive midfielder for the time being, and Lukaku constantly demanding position.

Because Gaio had shaken off two defenders, Bastia now had a numerical advantage in that area.

"Teldesley exclaimed, "Tottenham's defense has been broken down! Danger!! This is Gaio's strongest area!"

The camera is pointed at Gaio.

Whether in the stands or watching the broadcast, all eyes were on Gaio.

When Vertonghen came over to cover, he didn't use his eyes to mark his opponent like the other defenders did.

He is a very proactive defensive player, belonging to the "active interception type" of guard.

He likes to intercept the ball before or immediately after receiving it, attempting to neutralize the opponent's attack as quickly as possible. This style has both advantages and risks: the advantage is that if the interception is successful, he can quickly regain possession and launch a counter-attack; the risk is that if the interception fails, he is easily outmaneuvered by the opponent, resulting in gaps in the defense.

right now,

He charged straight at Gaio!
Gaio slowed down slightly, and as Vertonghen moved, he lowered his shoulder to observe the opponent's center of gravity, just as Vertonghen was about to catch up.

Bang!
Gaião poked the ball between Vertonghen's legs.

Gaio took two quick steps and rushed past Vertonghen, just a step away.

Vertonghen instantly realized that Gaio had been their nemesis!
Therefore, a decisive action was taken.

Instead of looking at the ball, he rushed towards Gaio, stretched out a leg, and simultaneously made a hand gesture to block Gaio.

He's going to bring Gaio down just outside the penalty area!
however,
Because Gaio was so fast, he was already slow to get to his position.

Gaio took a final, powerful step, already touching the penalty area line.

When Vertonghen fouled him, it was right inside the penalty area line.

drop!
The referee immediately made his decision, blowing his whistle and pointing to the penalty spot.

Wow!

Tottenham fans in the stands held their heads in disbelief, chanting, "This isn't a penalty!"

"This is a staged accident! This is absolutely not a foul!"

The Tottenham players, along with their captain Gallas, rushed over to protest to the referee, arguing that it was a successful defensive play and that Gaião had lost control of the ball.

However, the referee shook his head and insisted on his decision.

The moment Gaio fell to the ground, De Bruyne rushed over and picked him up. "Beautiful!"

Rothen rushed over and hugged Gaio's head, saying, "No one can stop you without fouling!"

The Bastia players were in high spirits, and winning a penalty near the end of the first half made them all very happy. Going into the locker room with a one-goal lead is a completely different feeling from going in with a two-goal lead.

The arrangements for the second half will have a completely different impact.

Haji Begichi waved his fists, excitedly venting his emotions.

This is the first time Bastia has reached the knockout stage of a European competition in more than 30 years, and it is also the first time in his coaching career that he has reached the knockout stage of a European competition.

This round of matches also holds special significance for Hagi Begic.

So he didn't want to lose.

right now,

Gaio stood up once again, becoming a hero to Bastia, and also to himself.

On the field.

After a brief period of confusion, Gaio took the ball and stood at the penalty spot. He put the ball down and then stepped back a few paces.

He stared at goalkeeper Friedel.

This is absolutely a top-class goalkeeper; in the hearts of Tottenham fans, he is a god-like player.

Even though the team has promised to give Lloris a starting position next season, they still gave Friedl a long-term contract. In addition to being able to provide assistance in times of need, he can also serve as the team's goalkeeping assistant coach, using his rich experience to mentor young goalkeepers like Lloris.

at this time,

This is a duel between a veteran goalkeeper and a young striker.

One was born in 1971, and the other in 1994.

A gap of more than twenty years!

"Gio's penalty conversion rate is currently 100%," Teledesley said. "I wonder if Friedel can end that record for Gaio tonight?"

The French TF1 commentator said, "Bastia's chance has come. Before the match, absolutely no one could have imagined that Tottenham wouldn't score a single goal, and Bastia would have the opportunity to take a two-goal lead in the first half. So, when you have Gaio on your team, don't panic at all; Gaio will bring you miracles! Bastia's current performance is the best proof. As a leading figure of the new generation in France, I think this is definitely not Gaio's ceiling. He still has room to grow, and Bastia is not without a chance to eliminate Tottenham."

drop!
The referee blows the whistle.

After taking a deep breath, Gaio didn't look at the goalkeeper, but stared at the football. He recalled the two hundred shots he had to practice every day during training.

At this moment, the silhouettes of those training sessions overlapped together.

All of it converged on his left foot.

Bang!
Gaio kicked the ball without hesitation; he didn't try to trick Friedel into shifting his weight, because there was no need.

Bang!
The football flew directly towards the crossbar and hit the bottom edge.

It then deflected into the net.

Friedel guessed the direction correctly, but he didn't expect Gaio to have such a big heart, daring to take a penalty at this moment that was almost impossible to save.

Because goalkeepers usually dive for half-high balls, which are very difficult to land.

But this is also extremely difficult for players taking free throws.

Gaio withstood the pressure!
After scoring, he didn't celebrate wildly, but instead turned around and opened his arms to face his teammates.

Their entire section of the stands was filled with Tottenham fans.

A chorus of boos erupted.

But nothing could diminish the excitement on everyone's faces in Bastia.

De Bruyne, Kanté, Rothen, Sidibé, and others rushed over to hug Gaio.

"What a tough penalty kick!"

"As expected of you!"

At that moment, fans across France also began to celebrate.

Especially on the island of Corsica.

"Geo!"

The sound accompanied the waves of the Mediterranean Sea at night, one after another, never ceasing.

Hagi Begic turned around and hugged and celebrated with the assistant coaches and the players on the bench.

Boas, standing next to him, frowned, still somewhat incredulous at the situation.

At halftime, Bastia led Tottenham 2-0!

After marveling at Gaio's goal-scoring prowess, ITV commentator Terdesley remarked, "To be honest, Bastia's two goals tonight were entirely due to Gaio's individual skill. There's no logic to it. You just can't defend against a star player like that. It's like Messi at Barcelona—how can you defend against him? You can only foul him. Unfortunately, Vertonghen made a mistake this time; he shouldn't have fouled in the penalty area."

After a brief commentary, Tildesley continued, "Tonight, White Hart Lane was completely captivated by Gaio's talent!"

"Tottenham's attacking group didn't perform to their expected standard, especially Adebayor, who was completely shut down by Virgil van Dijk, a young center-back who had never played in one of the top four leagues and had only recently transferred from mid-table Eredivisie side Groningen to Bastia in the winter transfer window. It's simply unbelievable. Furthermore, Tottenham's prized wing play didn't gain much of a speed advantage."

indeed,

Many fans who heard Teldesley's words were surprised to find that Tottenham's attacking weapon, Adebayor, had been effectively shut down.

Another thing is that Tottenham had the upper hand but failed to score, not even one goal?
soon.

Shortly after the game resumed, the referee blew the whistle to end the first half.

The score remained 0-2 at halftime.

Bastia are in the lead!

This almost instantly became a hot topic among England fans on social media.

At the same time, it solidified the thoughts of these Premier League fans – "We must buy a high-end player like Gaio!"

As Gaio entered the players' tunnel, he felt a gaze upon him.

He turned to look.

Gareth Bale.

At this moment, Bell's face no longer held that calm smile; instead, it was solemn.

When he saw Gaio turn his head, Bell did not look away this time.

Instead, he stared at Gaio for two seconds before looking away.

Gaio didn't take it seriously.

Enter the locker room.

Hagi Begic patted him on the shoulder, said "not bad," and then turned to Fabretu, who was with the team, and said, "Quickly help Gaio relax his muscles, he needs a rest."

Fabreto brought Gaio over. Gaio spent a lot of time sprinting in the first half, especially covering for Klose, so he was very exhausted.

Klose looked at Gaio apologetically, "It's all my fault for making you so tired."

Gaio was indeed tired; he simply nodded slightly without answering him.

I rested my head on a towel, lay down on the locker room bench, closed my eyes, and took a short break.

Fabricio helped him relax his leg muscles.

Hagi Bejic's voice wasn't loud, but it was very firm: "We're leading by two goals, and we'll definitely face their fiercest counterattack in the second half, so you all need to be mentally prepared for a lot of defensive pressure!"

Hagi Bejic's gaze swept over the defenders: Kante, Anguilla, Rothen, Van Dijk, and finally Darmian.

Everyone's face was incredibly resolute.

Having come this far, they have no reason to back down!

(End of this chapter)