The road to godhood starting from Ligue 1

Chapter 274 Formal Contact with Manchester City
Bastia dispossessed Paris Saint-Germain and launched a successful counter-attack.

Gueão tied up most of Paris's defense on the right flank, and then De Bruyne delivered a long pass that connected directly with Mane on the left flank.

Just five minutes after coming on, Mane had his first counter-attack opportunity!
He was facing a one-on-one defense from Jalley.

In the past, Mane would have felt a lot of pressure facing Jallet, after all, Jallet is one of the best full-backs in France, a key player for Lyon and Paris!

but now,

Mane has spent nearly a season learning and growing at Bastia, especially from Gaio, from whom he has learned a great deal.

After receiving the ball, he did not rush to break through, but stopped to observe Jalley's movements.

Subsequently,

Mane suddenly started moving, using his most common dribbling move, the "one-step pass".

His first step was unmatched in all of Bastia except for Gaio.

What Mane didn't know was that Gaio was only able to keep up because he was practically cheating.

Wow!

With just one move, Mane left Jallet half a body length behind, and the entire Parc des Princes stadium erupted in gasps of surprise.

Some Paris fans clutched their heads, yelling, "What kind of monsters are these Bastia players! How come they're all super-fast players! This club must have some kind of weird preference when it comes to signing players; they only like fast strikers!"

They couldn't help but exclaim that Mane's sprint was equally spectacular.

The smoke-smoked Tai Sui, the fire-scorched Vajra!
In an instant, he shook off Jalley and dribbled straight into the penalty area. Alex covered for him, and Mora was also desperately chasing back, but it was 70 minutes, not 7 minutes, and his stamina was not enough to keep him chasing back at full speed.

This gave Mane a one-on-one opportunity against Alex.

On the other side,
Gaio also tried his best to keep up.

However, before he could even get into position, Mane faced Alex and charged straight at him!

The ball passed!

Mane attempted to get to the byline and overpower Alex, but he actually managed to squeeze past him!
Alex was clearly flustered, constantly lunging at Mane, but Mane was just feinting. He suddenly stopped and flicked the ball back, intending to cut inside.

He had just cut inside when Alex stretched out his leg to intercept the ball.

However, thanks to Mane's excellent anticipation, Alex not only failed to touch the ball but also hooked Mane's foot.

Ah!
Mane let out a cry and fell in the penalty area.

hiss!
The entire stadium gasped in shock; for a moment, a vacuum filled the air.

Finished!

Sure enough, the referee blew his whistle the next moment!

drop!
The referee pointed to the penalty spot.

Bastia's penalty!
The Paris Saint-Germain players immediately wanted to protest and appeal, while the Bastia players were thrilled.

Having been under intense pressure for almost half an hour, the pressure was immense. This penalty kick instantly swept away their fatigue and filled them with excitement.

Palmieri came up and bumped chests with Mane in celebration, and the others also hugged Mane and kept praising him.

As captain, Gaio's job was to ensure the penalty was awarded.

He rushed between the referee and the Paris Saint-Germain players, separating the players from them and preventing them from touching the referee, while saying, "Don't push the referee! That's a yellow card offense!!"

The referee seemed to have heard Gaio's reminder, and his expression immediately turned serious. He firmly waved his hands at the Paris players, signaling them not to go forward.

"That's a penalty!"

The referee's words were very certain; he was right in front of Mane and Alex, and he could see them very clearly.

The TF1 commentator got excited, "Oh! Paris has been attacking for a long time but has failed to break through, and instead, Mane, who just came on, has created a penalty! For Paris, there are still twenty minutes left. Although there is enough time, it seems a bit difficult, after all, their attacking efficiency in the past seventy minutes has been really too low."

I think Ancelotti really needs to make some adjustments to PSG's strikers. He could put up a missing person notice for this match to find out where Ibrahimovic is.

Aside from a few headers, he made almost no impact.

On the field.

Gaio, holding the ball, went to the penalty spot.

Put the ball down.

He looked at Sirigu with absolute confidence on his face.

He only took one penalty against Tottenham, and given that he's a dribbling player, penalty kicks are a must-practice for him.

soon.

Everyone on both sides took their positions.

drop!
The referee blew the whistle.

After his run-up, Gaio unleashed a powerful shot!
Bang!
The football was kicked directly to the inside of the post, bounced into the net, and Sirigu guessed the wrong direction from the start.

All I could do was watch the ball go into the net.

But even if he hadn't guessed the wrong direction, he still wouldn't have had a chance.

0-2!

Bastia extended their lead!
Gaio's face instantly lit up with a wild smile as he rushed to the sidelines and threw a powerful punch.

This time, he rushed to a corner of the away team section, pointed at the Bastia fans in the stands with one finger, and patted the team badge on his chest with the other.

"Geo!!"

Bastia fans held up their jerseys for almost half an hour in the second half, and they never lost their composure.

but now,
With Gaio's goal, every single piece of the complete painting began to tremble.

The camera captured all of this perfectly.

Haji Begitch excitedly pumped his fist, exclaiming, "Big advantage! Big advantage!!"
In the stands.

Nasser's face darkened, and he looked furious, as if he wanted to kill someone.

Beckham and others kept clapping to their teammates, indicating that there was still a chance.

After the restart, Ancelotti finally made personnel changes, replacing Beckham and Pastore.

They brought on Menez and Verratti. However,
They were powerless against Bastia's tenacious defense.

One attack after another,
Disappointment after disappointment.

On the contrary, Bastia's counterattacks made them nervous again, but fortunately, Gaio had much less screen time in the second half.

Otherwise, they feel that 0-2 is not the end.

finally.

After Ibrahimovic's latest anti-aircraft shot, Paris ran out of time.

After the three minutes of stoppage time ended, the referee even added several dozen seconds, almost four minutes in total, before finally stopping the game.

drop!
The final whistle blows!

The Bastia substitutes all rushed onto the field and hugged their teammates.

This is a night that belongs to Bastia!
Behind their excitement lay the disappointment of everyone in Paris.

The contrast is extremely striking!

At the post-match press conference, Hagi Begic's face was still flushed with excitement.

"What happened tonight was the pinnacle of my and my lads' dreams! To keep a clean sheet and take three points from Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes, a team with Ibrahimovic, Beckham, and Thiago Silva?! This is beyond our wildest imagination!"

“I am incredibly proud of every player! From the first minute to the last second, they displayed impeccable discipline, an iron will, and an indomitable spirit! Our pre-match strategy—solid defense and seizing the decisive counter-attack—was executed perfectly!”

"Gaio? He has once again proven why he is the hottest rising star in Europe! His speed, composure, and killer instinct are the keys to breaking the deadlock."

Van Dijk and Kanté? They are the backbone! Every aerial duel, interception, and command in the defense by Van Dijk is textbook-perfect! Kanté is omnipresent; he covers every inch of the pitch, extinguishing countless Paris attacks! This is the ultimate embodiment of teamwork; everyone gave their all for each other!

"The three points are significant? Of course! But more importantly, this victory declares to all of France and even all of Europe: Bastia did not win by chance! We deserve this position, and we will fight to the last moment! Now? We need to enjoy this moment, and then immediately calm down and prepare for the next game. There is still a long way to go!"

The reporters at the scene were also very surprised by the result.

He kept asking Haji Begitch questions.

the other side.

Ancelotti was also surrounded by reporters' questions. He looked serious but spoke with restraint and composure.

"First of all, congratulations to Bastia, they deserved this victory. Coach Hagi Bejic organized the team very well, especially their defensive discipline and tactical execution, which taught us a lesson. Both of their goals came from efficient counter-attacks, which is why they are currently at the top of the table."

"The frustration and disappointment with our own performance were evident. We controlled the game and created many chances, especially in the first half, but were completely inefficient, with serious problems in decision-making and accuracy when it came to finishing. Against a team that plays so deep, you have to convert your advantage into goals, and we failed to do that."

“We clearly emphasized Gaio’s threat before the match, but he seized on one mistake, which is the ability of a top striker. And the second penalty completely eliminated the suspense of the game. When you have the upper hand in the game but are two goals down, and the opponent’s defense is so resolute, the game becomes very difficult.”

"A blow? Yes, losing 0-2 at home to a direct competitor is definitely a heavy blow to our championship aspirations, widening the gap. But now is not the time to make excuses or panic. We need to reflect deeply on why we couldn't score when we had the advantage, and why our defense was breached by simple yet effective counter-attacks."

"The team must learn a painful lesson from this, refocus, and concentrate on the next game. The league is not over yet, but we need to respond immediately and win back the fans' trust and our position in the standings with our performance on the field."

Ancelotti has always been known for his impeccable and tactful way of speaking.

However, Paris did not become calm that night because of his words.

Instead, feelings of dissatisfaction continued to accumulate.

Most of the Paris fans criticized him, after all, Paris had such a star-studded lineup, yet they still lost to Bastia!
Still at home!
What Paris fans find most incomprehensible is that the team spent 100 million euros in the summer transfer window and tens of millions more in the winter transfer window, yet they were still defeated twice by Bastia in the league.

How can anyone understand this?
The only thing that can quell the anger of Paris Saint-Germain fans right now is that the team is in a good position to advance in the Champions League and has the potential to make a breakthrough.

Even so, some people still chanted the slogan "Ancelotti should step down."

These disturbances in Paris, of course, could not hinder Bastia.

They will stay in Paris tonight and, after they have rested, will set off back to Bastia tomorrow afternoon.

It happened the very next morning.

Gaio met three people: his father Pierre and two guests from Manchester, England.

This was Gaio's first official contact with Manchester City.

“Hello, Gaio, I am Ferran Soriano, CEO of Manchester City Football Club, and this is my partner, Director of Football Tegeristan.”

During the conversation, Soriano continued, "I saw your amazing performance at the Parc des Princes last night, it was truly astonishing!"

Gaio nodded slightly, and the group chatted for a few more minutes.

Begiristain then got down to business.

That's their main objective today!

“Gaior, I think you should know why we came to France. We are here with the utmost sincerity and respect from Chairman Mansour and the entire Manchester City team to sincerely invite you to join Manchester City’s most ambitious football project in Europe!”
We watched every game you played this season. Your speed, technique, finishing ability, and especially your maturity and decisiveness beyond your years, are the core pieces of Manchester City's future blueprint.

Gaio and Pierre both looked like they were listening attentively.

Soriano added, "We plan to build a team around you, a team capable of dominating the Premier League and challenging for the Champions League title. We greatly admire your style, and Chairman Mansour believes you can shine on the biggest stages of the Premier League and the Champions League."

You have to trust us, we are absolutely sincere!

We will offer you a top-tier Premier League contract, far exceeding your current income, ensuring you become one of the highest-paid players in world football.

Furthermore, you hold an absolute core position; you will be the cornerstone of our future plans. Tactics will revolve around your strengths. After Mancini's departure this season, even coaches can be selected based on your style.

As you know, the Premier League is the most competitive and watched league in the world. It is a world-class stage that is perfect for talented players. The Etihad Stadium will become your new stage, with the most passionate fans and state-of-the-art facilities.

Manchester City has the ambition and the resources. We will continue to invest to ensure the team has the ability to compete for all the top honors. We will provide you with a top-notch coaching team, medical team and logistical support to help you continue to improve and reach or even exceed your potential limits.

Simply put, Gaio, Manchester City can offer you everything: a top-tier competitive platform, wealth commensurate with your worth, a commitment to building a team around you, and the opportunity to reach the pinnacle of the world.

We believe Manchester City is the best choice for you to become the best player in the world.

Soriano's tone was filled with strong confidence.

He believed that no one in the world could refuse such a offer!
He stared intently at Gaio.

It seems that this transfer could be finalized at this point, with negotiations focused on contract details and even negotiating the transfer fee with Bastia.

In fact, Soriano never even considered the transfer fee; he agreed as soon as Bastia asked.

Manchester City's main strength is its deep pockets and abundant funds!

Gaio smiled and met Soriano's gaze, but shook his head slightly at him.

Soriano was taken aback.

Is this a rejection?
(End of this chapter)