The road to godhood starting from Ligue 1

Chapter 290 One man defeated two rounds of the match
"Remember last week at San Siro? That night that broke Inter Milan's hearts!"

A hat-trick! A lone hero storming through a five-man encirclement, scoring from an impossible angle – these are all hallmarks of Gaio. Tonight, he delivered a stunning bicycle kick, a final requiem for Inter Milan!
Two legs, four goals, each one worth a fortune!
Every grain of rice pierces the heart!

He declared to the world in a completely different way—Gaio is the ultimate weapon born for the big stage!!!

The score remained 1-0, which made the TF1 commentators' tone much more enthusiastic.

French teams rarely have such a carefree moment.

And they are facing Inter Milan, the team that won the treble three years ago.

Seeing that Inter Milan was unable to break through Bastia's defense, the TF1 commentator continued,

"But the glory doesn't belong to Gaio alone! Look at our ironclad defense! Look at the tireless N'Golo Kanté! His coverage will surely break Inter's players; he covers the distance that two Inter players would cover alone. He is the wall of sighs in midfield!!"

"And look at Virgil van Dijk! He stands like a towering mountain in the penalty area! Every header he wins carries the momentum to crush everything! Every block he makes is a fearless act!"
And then there were Angula and Martinez. They built Corsica's strongest fortress with their own flesh and blood!

"Inter Milan's relentless bombardment was all in vain against Bastia's defense, which was imbued with the iron-blooded spirit of Ligue 2! Kante, Van Dijk, and Anguilla were the silent cornerstones, Gaio's strongest support! It was they who withstood the storm that gave Gaio the opportunity to strike the decisive blow!"

"This is Bastia! A blue legion composed of brilliant blades and iron walls."

It truly is an ironclad defense line.

Whether it's Bastia fans on or off the field, or Inter Milan fans, everyone thinks Bastia's defense is really tough!
On the field.

Half an hour later, Inter Milan players felt their stamina rapidly declining, as many of them had played against Bologna over the weekend.

They were truly giving it their all, burning themselves out, desperate for a goal.

however,
Bastia's defense repeatedly repelled their attacks.

As their offensive intensity waned due to fatigue, Bastia's defense recovered and became even more impenetrable.

37 minutes.

Rothen launched a long pass on the counter-attack, and Gaio received the ball and sprinted forward. Kovacic had no choice but to pull Gaio down and received a yellow card.

Kovacic didn't argue or react much; he simply lowered his head and silently retreated to a defensive position.

This is also the reaction of most Inter Milan players at present.

The more they play, the less motivated they become.

De Bruyne pulled Gaio up, patted him on the shoulder, and asked, "Should we take the free kick?"

Since his last direct free kick goal, most people seem to regard Gaio as a free kick expert.

Gaio shook his head slightly, "It's too far, you come."

All he has is a feel for free kicks within his shooting range.

This time, Bastia took a free kick. De Bruyne delivered the ball into the penalty area, and Van Dijk rushed forward and headed the ball towards the goal.

Handanovic couldn't make the save.

However, the goalposts at Thessaloniki Stadium acted as an outside threat, as Van Dijk's ball hit the crossbar, bounced off, and was cleared.

Wow!

This goal left the fans at the stadium feeling incredibly disappointed, and it almost made the Inter Milan players and fans' hearts stop. If there was still a slight chance after the third goal, then if this goal had gone in, there would have been absolutely no chance after the fourth.

Fortunately,
It seems that fate has left Inter Milan with one last glimmer of hope.

Bastia quickly retreated to their defensive formation, preferring not to score to conceding a goal.

After all, they are in the lead right now.

Offense is merely a form of deterrence.

If it weren't for Gaio and Lukaku drawing attention in the attacking third, Inter Milan's attack would have been even more intense.

soon.

The first half ended in the final minutes.

The score remained 1-0 until the final whistle.

drop! !

Upon hearing the whistle, the Bastia players breathed a sigh of relief, knowing they could finally relax.

Especially the defensive players.

Gaio was probably the most relaxed one. He didn't have any defensive duties or many counter-attack opportunities, and his physical condition was the best.

On his way back to the locker room, Gaio ran into Zanetti.

He immediately greeted him, asking in English, "Javier, can we exchange jerseys after the game?"

Zanetti hadn't expected Gaio to exchange jerseys with him, but he almost never refused such a request, especially since it was Gaio.
Although Gai had beaten him several times, Zanetti had to admit, setting aside their status as opponents, that Gai was an absolute top talent and a top player, whose destructive power on the field was immense.

"Of course!"

Zanetti immediately took off his number 4 jersey, and Gaio handed him his number 10 jersey in return.

After exchanging jerseys, Zanetti said with a smile, "I won't let you get through so easily again."

Gaio responded with a smile, "Maybe."

The two then went to different locker rooms, and Gaio glanced again at Zanetti, who was shirtless.

He actually had a very good impression of this legendary Inter Milan captain.

If you were to cover up Zanetti's nationality, his personality, his on-field style, and his off-field demeanor would be completely unlike that of an Argentine player.

He is extremely loyal to both the team and his family.

Inter Milan was his first and last stop in Europe. He rejected countless offers that brought him both fame and fortune, all for Inter Milan.

He also remained devoted to his childhood sweetheart wife.

He has no scandals off the field, and aside from football, his biggest career is the PUPI Foundation, which provides assistance to impoverished children in Argentina.

On the field, as a professional player, needless to say, "Youngster Sa" is extremely self-disciplined. There are also many interesting things he does, such as attending his own wedding after physical training, carrying his wife to do squats during his vacation, and running laps in the airport when his flight is delayed.

Gaio watched Zanetti walk into the locker room.

He glanced around and noticed that everyone in the Inter Milan locker room looked rather grim.

Gaio withdrew his gaze and walked into the Bastia locker room.

at this time.

The Inter Milan locker room was indeed deathly silent.

The sour smell of sweat, the smell of disinfectant, and the stench of failure mingled together.

Zanetti put Gaio's jersey in his locker and took a towel to wipe his sweat.

Stramaccioni's fingers were gripping a nearly broken whiteboard marker tightly, his body stiff as a stone.

He looked at the locker room, which was silent except for the sound of breathing.

The air was so heavy you could wring water out of it.

Stramaccioni finally glanced at everyone and said softly, "Half-time score: 1-0. Achievement score: 1-4."

Every word seemed to be squeezed out of his throat, dry and strained. "We didn't play badly, they only had one chance."

There was another suffocating silence.

Stramaccioni's Adam's apple bobbed, as if he were swallowing something unspeakable, but he finally spoke, "I know what people outside are saying, I know what the headlines are ready for, I know... I know what follows my name."

He never actually said the word "dismissal," but everyone understood.

There was another long silence.

The veterans knew what they were facing; they had experienced this situation far too many times, and this time seemed to be no exception.

Young people, in particular, lacked the courage to say anything in such a situation.

They just stared blankly.

There's a vague sense that the team is about to undergo a major change.

for a long time,

Stramaccioni's words came again: "In the second half, focus on defense, draw them out, and then look for opportunities to attack."

"I know this is ugly! I know this isn't how Inter Milan should be! But hold on! Don't let the score get any worse! For the team badge on our chests, for the fans who are still cheering for us, hold on to our last shred of dignity!"

He spoke the word "dignity" with particular weight, as if it were the only thing he could grasp.

Stramaccioni chose the most conservative and passive strategy – “defense”.

This isn't tactical wisdom; it's a coach standing on the edge of a cliff, driven by fear to protect himself.

He didn't want the score to be too bad.

Stramaccioni looked at his players, feeling somewhat resentful.

He has lofty ideals!
A heart full of ambition!
But before it could even be implemented, he was already on the verge of being dismissed from get out of class.

He thought of that figure—Gaio, who single-handedly defeated Inter Milan in two legs with four goals.

There was only a sigh.

Zanetti observed the atmosphere in the locker room and understood the unspoken meaning behind Stramaccioni's words.

He let out a soft breath.

Actually, he wasn't exactly a passionate captain; in fact, he was criticized for lacking charisma, which led to Inter Milan's frequent battles against weaker teams. He didn't use many words to motivate the team; he simply led by example.

Zanetti has already decided to retire at the end of this season or at the end of next season.

But as long as he doesn't retire, he will always be Inter Milan's captain.

He said, "The coach is right, we can't concede any more goals. Defense is the bottom line, but guys, defense isn't about holding on to a 0-1 deficit until the final whistle."

Just one sentence.

Zanetti's teammates, who were all familiar with his style, nodded in agreement.

After all, Zanetti prefers long runs and rallies to motivate his teammates at the end of a match to these words.

Zanetti suddenly pictured Gaio in his mind, and recalled the times he had been beaten by him.

'But the game isn't over yet.'

In contrast to Inter Milan's somber mood, the Bastia dressing room was filled with fighting spirit.

They are on the path to making history.

Hagi Bejic repeatedly urged his players to stay calm, saying, "Watch your movements, don't get injured. If you have the chance, waste a little more time. I believe our fans won't mind if we 'go to the grass' (i.e., play passively). Of course, most importantly, you must maintain your defense! You must be fully focused and not leave any players open!"

As for tactics, Hagi Begic didn't repeat them, since he had already talked about them extensively before the match.

The most important thing now is to let the players get a good rest.

When De Bruyne saw Gaiola take back Zanetti's jersey, he said to Gaiola, "If we can win the championship, I'll reserve that jersey for that night."

Gaio laughed and not only agreed, but also said, "I'll give you my autograph too."

at the same time.

Turin, Italy.

Marotta watched the first half of the Bastia vs. Inter Milan Europa League match in his study at home.

He ran his fingers over a scouting report, Leonardo's comprehensive assessment of Gaio.

Originally, this report had already been delivered to the desk of Juventus' current owner, Andrea, when Bastia achieved a resounding away victory against Inter Milan, with Gaio scoring a hat-trick.

but,

Ultimately, the report returned to his hands.

Andrea has essentially made it clear that this is impossible.

and,

Before tonight's match, Andrea sent him several messages to his email. The first was Fiat's financial report for the first quarter of this year, showing a net loss of 8300 million euros, which was less than the net profit of 3500 million euros in the same period last year.

The second is some reports about Fiat's full acquisition of Chrysler entering the final stage.

The third is the EXOR Group, which has reportedly invested further in Fiat, mainly in the Ferrari F1 R&D budget and the Maranello wind tunnel expansion budget, among other things.

EXOR was formed in 2008 through the merger of two holding companies under the Fiat Group. EXOR Holding Company holds a major controlling stake in the Fiat Group and controls Fiat's businesses such as Juventus Football Club and Cushman & Wakefield.

Obviously.

By sending these things to Marotta, Andrea was telling him why it couldn't be done.

At this stage, Juventus is not considered as important in the Agnelli family's vision, as resources are being allocated to their most crucial automotive business.

Although they acquired the stadium in 2011, they have yet to make a breakthrough in the Champions League, and given the significant investment already made without immediate returns, it is difficult for them to afford another signing with a total cost exceeding 100 million euros.

The current Eurozone sovereign debt crisis has caused Fiat, Europe's third-largest automaker, to experience its worst decline in its home market of Italy in more than 30 years.

More importantly, during the 2008 global economic crisis, Fiat went to the United States to take over Chrysler, but the deal is still not completed, and instead, it has strained its own finances.

So Andrea told him, "Wait a little longer, give it two seasons, and we'll have the most ample investment budget to make Juventus great again!"

Marotta is also aware that Juventus doesn't have much of a budget right now.

But wait another two seasons?

Was Gaio acquired for 100 million euros back then?
Marotta had absolutely no idea.

He can only pin his hopes on this season, and so far they have defeated Celtic 5-0 on aggregate in the Champions League Round of 32 to advance to the Champions League quarterfinals.

In April, they will face the Bavarian giants, Bayern Munich.

This season, both Bundesliga teams, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, have been performing exceptionally well in European competitions.

This is going to be a tough battle.

Marotta gazed at the quiet night sky outside the study, 'Hopefully I can advance.'

(End of this chapter)