The road to godhood starting from Ligue 1

Chapter 273 Even the French Football Federation couldn't suppress Gaio
The deafening roar of the more than 40,000 fans at the Parc des Princes was not exactly silent at this moment, but there was a brief lull in the silence.

The Paris Saint-Germain players shrugged at each other, looking rather helpless; they couldn't blame their teammates.

Everyone saw Bastia's entire goal-scoring process; given the space, it's naturally the domain of speed-type players.

All I can say is that Gaio and Lukaku alone broke through their defense.

Especially Gaio.
The Paris Saint-Germain players looked at him with a hint of apprehension. Maxwell was panting heavily, mentally reviewing the mistakes he had made in the face of Gaio's counterattack.

After scoring, Gaio punched his fist and charged toward the sidelines.

He ignored the slightly silent Paris players, turned to face the cameras on the sidelines, and opened his arms.

Raise your head slightly.

Click, click, click!
As the cameras flashed, many reporters had already planned tomorrow's headline: "The Reign of Paris!"

Number 10's back view.

It has come into the view of too many people.

In the stands.

Nasser and the rest of the Paris Saint-Germain executives didn't look particularly bad, but they certainly weren't happy either.

Especially Nasser, the player he personally decided to bring to Paris was Gaio, but as soon as there were rumors and initial contact, Gaio left no room for negotiation.

Nasser's refusal to postpone was partly due to this reason; if Gaio were willing to come to Paris, he would be willing to postpone a match, or even give up the championship to Bastia this year.

What a pity, what a pity, this Gaiolu has become his opposite!

French Football Federation President Legiera, who attended tonight's match, also looked rather unwell.

In rejecting French football, Gaio also completely disregarded his dignity.

But the biggest problem is that Legella doesn't dare to do anything to Gaio yet.

Gaio is no longer just a French player; he is the future of French football.

Gaio also made it very clear that Zidane left for France and won the World Cup.

To many, this is just a simple example.

In fact, could these seasoned veterans not understand the meaning behind Gaio's words?
This is about bringing up Zidane as his backer, meaning he has a lot of support behind him.

Zidane's influence on French football is immense.

and,

Legera felt that Gaio's words and actions must have been instructed by Zidane behind the scenes, otherwise how could an 18-year-old player know how to say such things?

So, if it were an ordinary player, Legoera would have had all sorts of ways to put pressure on him, but in the case of Gaio, he had no way to do anything.

Yes, there is no way.

The decision can only be made according to Gaio's own ideas.

He sighed inwardly. The problem was that Gaio's rise was too fast. But if Gaio hadn't been so dazzling, perhaps he wouldn't have insisted on keeping Gaio in Ligue 1.

This is a paradox.

Too strong, he can't suppress Gaio.

He's not strong enough; he looks down on Gaio.

After a brief moment of surprise, Legella regained her smile. What else could she do now?
Let's just wait and see.

While he was pondering, the situation on the field shifted again, with Paris pressing and besieging Bastia.

Gaião and Lukaku also dropped deep into their positions. Of course, they didn't just defend blindly; if they had simply defended blindly, they would have conceded goals.

Even when Paris lost possession, Bastia was still able to launch a strong counter-attack.

It is precisely because of this deterrent that Paris dares not raise its defenses too much.

This gave Bastia a chance to catch her breath.

The backline defense, led by Kante and Van Dijk, almost made Paris feel the intensity of the Champions League.

Ibrahimovic felt more frustrated playing against Bastia than he did playing in the Champions League.

Beckham now understands why Kanté had previously dismissed his words.

indeed,

Even if he were a few years younger, it seems he still wouldn't be able to get past Kanté.

Kante's coverage is too strong; you can see him everywhere.

This made Beckham almost ineffective on the field.

This resulted in Paris appearing to dominate the game, but actually not posing many threatening attacks.

A classic case of dominating possession but failing to score.

and,

Every counter-attack by Bastia terrified the Paris fans.

De Bruyne may seem unassuming, but he always manages to deliver a pass that links Lukaku and Gaio in the attacking third.

Oops! !

The Parc des Princes once again echoed with the disappointed cries of Paris Saint-Germain fans.

Ibrahimovic missed a chance to equalize in the first half.

Paris Saint-Germain capitalized on a set-piece opportunity, with Beckham pinpointing Ibrahimovic in the crowd, who powerfully headed the ball towards the goal.

Unfortunately, he didn't put in enough effort and didn't open up the angle completely. Damian was on high alert and leaped to catch the ball.

Ibrahimovic shook his head helplessly.

This was Paris's last strike in the first half, with stoppage time almost up.

really,

As Damian crossed the ball towards the center circle—

drop! !

The referee's whistle shattered the silence of the Paris fans.

The first half is over.

Paris Saint-Germain are currently trailing Bastia 0-1 at home.

The TF1 commentator was also surprised by the score, saying, "Half time! The Parc des Princes is filled with an incredible tension! Paris Saint-Germain trails league leaders Bastia 0-1!"

This scoreline has probably proven all pre-match predictions wrong!
Statistically, Paris Saint-Germain held an overwhelming advantage! They had nearly 70% possession, far more shots on goal, and frequently created threats from corner kicks.
Unfortunately, despite having many opportunities, they always fell just short of the mark when it came to finishing, or their shots were thwarted by Bastia's fearless defense!
Ancelotti's expression was not good.

His team controlled the game, but failed to score despite their dominance, and were instead fatally struck by the opponent's sharpest weapon.

These 15 minutes at halftime are crucial for Paris!

They need to solve their attacking efficiency problem, find the key to breaking through Bastia's tight defense, and, more importantly, contain Gaio, who could score another counter-attack goal at any moment.

On the field.

The Bastia players gave each other a fist bump on their way to the locker room.

"Well done, keep it up in the second half!"

Every face was filled with high fighting spirit, and they fought harder and harder in the match against Paris.

It was the Paris dressing room, on the contrary.

The atmosphere was somewhat subdued, with some players appearing frustrated and confused.

Ibrahimovic looked serious.

Ancelotti opened with clear, steady Italian-accented English: "Lift your heads, we are satisfied with how we controlled the game for most of the first half."

The initiative is in our hands.

Bastia only has two options: defend the penalty area to the death, or wait for Gaio and Lukaku to make their run.

We've done a great job limiting our opponents; you know, other teams usually concede a lot of goals against them.

However, Ancelotti changed the subject. "But what about efficiency?"
Where is our efficiency?

Faced with such a deep defense, what should be the passing options in the final 15 meters?
What about the decisiveness in shooting?

Van Dijk was excellent; his duels and headers neutralized most of our high balls.

Ancelotti glanced at Ibrahimovic and Lavezzi, then quickly looked away and continued, "Kante also covers a lot of ground, and their other players defend very decisively. Yes, that's one of the reasons Bastia is at the top of the table; they have some very good players."

But that's no excuse for not scoring!
We need faster movement, bolder penetrations into the flanks, and most importantly—ruthlessness when opportunities arise! They can't hold on for 90 minutes without making a mistake!

Immediately afterwards, Ancelotti pulled over the tactics board and sketched a few simple lines.

This was his adjustment in the second half.

Accelerated attacks, increased penetration, utilizing width to create distance, frequent relocation and deployment, etc.
The Paris Saint-Germain players nodded in agreement.

On paper, Paris Saint-Germain is much stronger than Bastia. PSG has so many established stars, while Bastia only has a group of young, inexperienced players.

In the Bastia locker room on the other side.

Hagi Begic simply emphasized the importance of defense before quickly asking the team doctor to help him relax.

Without further ado, let the players get some rest.

Why didn't Bastia retaliate more?

Actually, it's not that there's no opportunity.

Rather, it was because Bastia was genuinely struggling to keep up. So while others saw Bastia's counterattacks as very threatening, only her own people knew that the hardness of Bastia's counterattacks had decreased significantly.

Gaio and Lukaku have both slowed down considerably.

In other words, Gaio can still use his dribbling skills to create some set-piece opportunities in the attacking third.

As halftime was drawing to a close, Hagibis said, "There are still 45 minutes left. If we can hold on, we'll win. Even if it's a draw, it's okay. We still have a one-goal margin for error. Don't be under pressure. We're leading by seven points! They're the ones who should be worried!"

"bring it on!"

Haji Begitch was in the middle of the locker room, and he stretched out his hand. Gaio was the first to get up and walk over, and he also stretched out his hand and covered it.

The others stood up.

Everyone knew exactly what to do: "1, 2, 3—"

"Fight, Bastia!!"

As everyone walked out of the locker room, they looked like they were heading to a battlefield, their faces filled with determination.

When Hagi Begic saw Mane, he patted him on the shoulder and said, "Warm up properly, it's your turn in the second half."

Gaio returned to the Parc des Princes.

The entire venue is still filled with blue.

But when he subconsciously looked at the away team, all he saw was that white flag with black Moorish heads.

He had observed during the match that Bastia's traveling team was truly giving it their all this time; they held up half the stadium's worth of jerseys.

They didn't put their jerseys down until halftime, and now, with the second half about to begin, they're raising them up again.

This is Bastia!
When Gaio looked away, he met Ibrahimovic's gaze. Ibrahimovic was no longer as "domineering" as he had been.

In Gaio's mind, this was just Ibrahimovic's routine operation.

His actions may have attracted many fans, and his arrogant words have also transformed him into "God" in the eyes of his fans.

but,
It's a fact that he, as Sweden's star player, failed to lead Sweden to the World Cup; it's also a fact that he always underperformed in big club matches.

Is this match considered a clash of titans?
Gaio didn't know at first.

But after Ibrahimovic joined the team, he realized that this was indeed a clash of titans.

Because Ibrahimovic went soft again in this match.

He was completely shut down by Van Dijk!

Ancelotti's gaze also fell on Gaio's retreating figure. He was still thinking about the possibility of buying Gaio; he really wanted to coach a player like him at least once.

He has coached many top players, but he really likes Gai's style.

After all, what coach doesn't like someone who can always step up and solve problems in crucial moments?
Many teams fail to win championships because they lack the one decisive player to deliver the final blow!
He saw Ibrahimovic's problem.

The key is that in Paris right now, if they can't rely on Ibrahimovic, who else can they rely on?

At least Ibrahimovic can dominate weaker opponents.

soon.

The referee blew the whistle to start the match again.

drop! !

The second half continues.

Bastia did not change their tactics and continued to tighten their defense.

Paris Saint-Germain made a slight change, and their passing became more frequent.

Bastia at this time.

Countless people were watching the television, watching this half that would ultimately decide the outcome of the game.

Sunset Cafe Bistro.

Martin shouted, "We must hold on!"

Every time the players gave their all, they felt a surge of passion coursing through them, and they wished they could be a part of the team and give their all for Bastia.

Therefore,
Even when they couldn't play, they were still fully focused and engaged as fans in the stands.

"This is too difficult. I feel the players are moving a little slower. Will they really be able to catch up in the second half?"

Some people are starting to worry.

The schedule is their biggest concern, after all, players are human too, and they get tired too.

"Fortunately, we scored one in the first half. Now it's up to us to see if we can hold on. Lukaku has dropped quite deep, and I feel like he's running out of steam. We can try bringing on Mane; he still has energy."

"Geo!"

Just as they were worrying, a sudden exclamation rang out.

On TV, De Bruyne made a pass that connected with Gaio.

Gaio moves forward.

unfortunately,

Gaio was double-teamed and had little space to shake off his defenders, so he was forced to pass back.

A good opportunity to counterattack has been lost.

"Ugh."

The fans sighed; Gaio was truly exhausted.

With two consecutive high-intensity matches and a third one midweek, can the team handle it?

The time has reached sixty-five minutes.

Bastia fans wish it were already the 95th minute!

drop!
On the field, the referee blew his whistle and pointed to the sidelines.

Bastia makes a substitution!

Mane replaced Lukaku, who was starting to lose his drive.

The TF1 commentator, seeing Mane enter the game, remarked, "It seems Bastia hasn't given up on counter-attacking. They're not content with a one-goal lead. Mane is also a very fast player, which will be a significant challenge for Paris's defense."

The commentator is right.

Mane had only been on the pitch for five minutes when, in the 70th minute, he had an excellent opportunity!

(End of this chapter)