The road to godhood starting from Ligue 1

Chapter 295 An Unthinkable Result: A Huge Upset!
The ball flew straight into the corner of the net!

Everyone forgot to cheer, forgot to move, and for that instant, their eyes were fixed on the football.

Even goalkeeper Loria could only watch as the ball flew into the corner of the net.

He made no attempt to make a save.

He didn't even have time to react!

Swish!
Amidst great anticipation, the football narrowly missed the side netting and flew into the goal.

this moment,
The Georgian players are heartbroken.

The French fans erupted in a thunderous roar!
"Geo!"

"Captain France!!"

When Gaio saw the ball go in, he raised his arms and rushed onto the field.

Thanks to the additional effects of attribute enhancement, even without an absolutely dominant shooting attribute, Gaio can still deliver this kind of shot into an absolute dead angle!
This is the annihilation instinct!
Gaio rushed to the stands and once again made his signature arms-out celebration gesture to the incredibly excited fans.

only,
This time is different from the past; this blue number 10 jersey has an additional captain's armband.

He scored his first goal as captain of the national team!
That was also his fourth goal in this World Cup qualifier!

His teammates rushed to him, hugged him in celebration, and cheered wildly just like the fans.

Deschamps also raised his arms and shouted that he hadn't misjudged him!
Gaião is the answer to France's attacking line!

Pogba made a good pass, but if it had been another striker, it might not have turned into a goal. At most, it would have been a successful pass that continued to stretch the opponent's formation.

But for Gaio, it was an opportunity.

That's the difference!
Georgia's head coach, Kotsbya, was on the sidelines and was stunned when he saw Gaio make that shot!
I was completely stunned. This works?

That shooting technique, that finishing ability, it's a bit outrageous!
Kotswaya was no unknown player either; he was a renowned figure in Georgian football, having joined the English Premier League in 1997.

The first stop was Newcastle United.

After playing for three years, he transferred to Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2000 for a transfer fee of 140 million euros at the time.

Before coaching the Georgian national team, he had coached Anorthosis and Olympiacos since 2004, giving him a total of five years of experience before taking on the national team coaching role.

There's an interesting story behind this.

Kotswaya's final stop in his playing career was Anorthosis, where he played from 2002 until his retirement in 2007.

Can you spot the problem?

He retired as a player in 2007, but began coaching Anorthosis in 2004.

Yes, that's right.

Kotswana played as both head coach and player for Anorthosis during those years.

Anorthosis is making a killing!

One salary supports two jobs.

Unfortunately, this experience won't make him any luckier in tonight's game.

After the first goal, Georgia tried to push forward, but they were intercepted by Kanté as soon as they advanced to midfield.

and,

Their center forward Vasace had almost no chance against Varane and Sakho, and spent the entire game essentially sitting in jail.

On the contrary, the French attack was incredibly fierce.

Whether it's Ribery on the left or Gaião on the right, both have been playing exceptionally well this season.

Georgia's defenders on both flanks are having a very tough time.

Fortunately, Georgia maintained a defensive formation during the attack, which prevented them from being overwhelmed immediately.

However, under the relentless attacks from the French team, they still showed weaknesses.

Amid cheers from the crowd.

During France's sustained pressure, Gaião used his dribbling skills to draw the opponent's defensive focus to the flanks.

This gives the middle lane space!
Gaião seized this opportunity, suddenly accelerating on the wing and then delivering a cross with his right foot.

Although his right foot is still not as good as his left, it is definitely not the "crippled foot" he used to have.

The football flew towards the center.

Giroud quickly followed up to get to the ball, and the only defender marking him was center-back Cassia.

Giroud ate him alive!
Giroud leaped high and headed the ball into the net.

18th minute, 2-0!

France extended their lead once again.

The Stade de France erupted once again as Giroud rushed toward Gaio after scoring.

Gaio opened his arms and hugged him tightly.

"That was beautiful! That header!"

Giroud's face beamed with excitement as he patted Gaio on the back and said, "It's all thanks to your excellent wording."

A 2-0 scoreline against a team like Georgia is practically a victory.

As the French team celebrated, Cassia wiped the sweat from his face; the game had really left him drenched in sweat.

As Gaio walked towards the center circle after celebrating, he also saw Kashya.

This person was the second person he knew well in this Georgian team.

Why am I familiar with him?
It's simply because he was teammates with Vitesse and Zhang Yuning in his previous life.

Gaio is most familiar with the midfield core of the current Georgian team.

Ananitis!
Those who know, when they hear this name, understand that it represents both talent and regret.

In 2009, 16-year-old Ananitis scored a goal while wearing the Lokomotiv Moscow jersey, setting a record as the youngest goalscorer in the Russian Premier League. At 17, he won the Georgian Footballer of the Year award and was considered the new hope of Georgian football, the next Kinkrade, and even expected to achieve greater success.

however,
Too many injuries have caused this attacking midfielder to return to mediocrity.

Back to the game.

With a two-goal lead, the French team began to change their tactics on the field. They reduced their attacking intensity and instead focused on controlling the ball, waiting for Georgia to press forward.

However, Kotsbya remained calm.

No matter how many opportunities the French team gave him, he just wouldn't take the initiative.

France actually had some good chances, but they were just a hair's breadth away from winning.

soon.

47 minutes have passed, and the first half has ended.

France leads Georgia 2-0 at home. The TF1 commentator was very satisfied with the result, saying, "At this rate, victory is only a matter of time. Deschamps has built this team well, especially Gaio, whose position is no longer limited to the right wing; he can also move into the center, which will put more pressure on the defenders."

Shortly after the start of the second half.

The defensive pressure on the defensive players, as mentioned by the TF1 commentators, has finally become apparent.

Neither side made any substitutions at halftime.

Georgia continues to struggle offensively, creating almost no attacking opportunities and constantly resorting to defense.

but,

With Gaio's flexible positioning, Kwikwija's defensive position on the left flank had to change accordingly. He tried several times to get his teammates to cover, but they were completely outmaneuvered by Gaio and his teammates' running and movement. If there hadn't been enough players in the penalty area, they would have conceded a goal long ago.

So this time, Kvirkviria followed Gaio closely.

however,
He caught up, but his teammate Amisalashvili was drawn away because of Pogba's forward run.

Gaio accelerates laterally!
Kvelkvillia made a full run forward, but just as he was about to bring Gaio down outside the penalty area, Gaio passed the ball!
Bang!
He made a cross pass, paused for a moment, and while Kvirkwija was still in a daze, he quickly started his run and got past her.

Giroud, acting as a pivot, had just dropped back to receive the ball and then smoothly passed it forward.

Without any hesitation, Gaio volleyed the ball with his left foot without stopping it!
Swish!
The football has broken through the net again!

55 minutes, 3-0!

Steady!

The cheers at the Stade de France tonight were deafening, and the blue of the stands stretched endlessly.

The fans' excitement converged, breaking through the Paris night.

Gaio scores twice!

He smiled and hugged Giroud, saying, "This goal is on you."

Giroud laughed heartily.

In the last two goals of the match, they each contributed a goal and an assist, they were just there to pad their stats.

With a three-goal lead, the French team had no need to continue their relentless attack.

On the one hand, they have to rest their key players because they will face Spain in a decisive match in four days.

On the other hand, Deschamps also wants to test new players, taking advantage of these kinds of matches to give them a try.

So at the 60th minute, Gaião was substituted by Deschamps.

When he left the field, the entire stadium erupted in applause.

The two sides then entered a simple offensive and defensive exercise scenario, and time passed.

As the match between France and Georgia drew to a close, with the score at 3-0, it was unlikely that any comeback would occur in the final ten minutes or so.

Suddenly, cheers erupted from the French fans in the stadium.

Many fans held up two fingers.

This means 1-1. Fans in the stands were exchanging messages, their faces beaming with smiles: "Spain has tied!"

This is definitely very exciting news for French fans.

awesome!
Everyone initially thought that France needed to beat Spain to secure first place in the group, but now it seems they only need to remain undefeated.

With the match already lackluster, the commentators immediately shifted their focus to the result of the game between Spain and Finland, which kicked off fifteen minutes earlier.

"This is definitely good news for the French team, as Spain was actually held to a draw by Finland at home."

The French team's coaching staff and substitutes were also informed.

Deschamps sat back down in his seat, repeatedly confirming the authenticity of the news. He was no longer concerned with the game on the field; he was only focused on Spain's situation.

Gaio, who was substituted off the field, chatted with his teammates.

This means they will be in first place after this round of group matches.

They lead the standings with 10 points from 3 wins and 1 draw.

Spain has 2 wins and 2 draws, accumulating 8 points and ranking second in the group.

格鲁吉亚、白俄罗斯和芬兰，分别积4分、3分和2分排名小组2-5位。

This means that Finland, who were ranked last, managed to take a big bite out of Spain on their home turf!

This can be considered as indirectly helping the French team.

This directly propelled the French team to the top of the group, and as long as they don't lose their next match against Spain, they will maintain control of the game.

Furthermore, Gaio had read the news before the match, which said that this game was Real Madrid legend Ramos' 100th international appearance.

This milestone is certainly not a pleasant one.

Ramos became the eighth Spanish international to reach 8 appearances, following Casillas, Zubizarreta, Xavi, Alonso, Raul, Torres, and Puyol. Casillas currently holds the record for most appearances in Spanish national team history with 143.

and,

Gaio remembers very clearly that Ramos made his national team debut on March 26, 2005, against the Chinese team!

gradually.

At the Stade de France, few people cared about the last ten minutes of the match; almost everyone was discussing Spain's shock draw against Finland.

This is a three-time champion!

The invincible Spain!
The Georgian bench and coaches sensed that the French home team's focus wasn't on the field, which left them somewhat disheartened.

After all, this is still a competition, but the other side doesn't even consider them opponents.

Head coach Kotsbya shook his head helplessly. There was nothing he could do; that was the difference in skill level.

at the same time.

Many French fans who weren't at the stadium were watching the match between Spain and Finland.

After the match, the commentator was quite fair: "During Vicente del Bosque's playing career, he only wore the Spanish captain's armband in two matches."

One of the matches took place at Sporting Gijón's home stadium, the Morinón Stadium.

That match took place on April 16, 1980, with Spain playing against Czechoslovakia.

Tonight at the Morinón Stadium, Vicente del Bosque became the Spanish coach with the most matches managed in history.

The match between Spain and Finland was Vicente del Bosque's 69th game as manager of the team, surpassing Kubala's record of 68 games as manager of Spain.

Unfortunately, Spain suffered a major setback at the Morinón Stadium tonight.

Despite dominating possession, Spain was ultimately held to a 1-1 draw by Finland.

The match was so dull at times that it made people drowsy.

Spain dominated possession, but struggled to find the most effective way to break through the defense, with their long-range shots from outside the penalty area appearing rather haphazard and ineffective.

Almost all of Spain's attacking methods were neutralized by Finland.

In their last two World Cup qualifiers, Spain were tied after taking a 1-0 lead.

Unable to attack effectively and unable to defend well, this has become the key phrase for Spain today.

The Matadors were unable to extend their lead when they were ahead, nor could they defend against their opponents' rapid counterattacks.

在4轮小组赛之后，西班牙队2胜2平仅积8分，法国队则3胜1平积10分领跑I组积分榜。

Next Tuesday, Spain will play against France away from home.

This match will determine who tops the group. To secure a direct ticket to the Brazil World Cup, Spain must defeat France away from home.

France clearly has the tactical initiative; the French team only needs to secure a draw or strive for a win, allowing Deschamps' team to be more relaxed mentally.

A victory against France away from home?

在2010年3月3日，西班牙曾经以2比0的比分完成过这一伟业。

But at that time, Casillas and Puyol were not yet injured, Villa was not yet 30 years old, and Torres, Guiza and Senna were still in the Spanish national team.

At that time, the French team was in a dark period before the South Africa World Cup.

Spain's overall strength has declined significantly, while the French team is on the rise after a generational shift. In particular, their right winger, Gaio, enjoys absolute prestige in France and has become the captain of the French national team at the age of 18. In the early 20th century, Callene and Alemany were around 20 years old when they wore the captain's armband for the French team.

Henry once lamented that playing against Spain meant chasing the ball, but the current Spanish team may not be able to do that anymore.

Instead, we should be wary of the French team's attacks from both wings.

and,

Spain is also facing considerable challenges in terms of personnel selection.

Due to accumulated yellow cards, Silva will be suspended for the match against France, and it remains to be seen whether Xavi and Xabi Alonso will be able to recover from their injuries and return to the field.

If these three key midfielders and forwards are all absent, Del Bosque will have a real headache.

If Spain fails to beat France away from home, they will have to prepare for a crucial playoff.

"It's an absolute disgrace for the defending World Cup champions to play in the playoffs."

Spain's humiliation is the song of praise for the French team's fans.

I'm incredibly happy.

drop! !

Soon after the two minutes of added time ended, the referee blew the final whistle.

France's match has also ended!

They easily defeated Georgia 3-0.

Simultaneously.

Because Spain suffered a defeat at home, they took the top spot in the group!

“Allez, la France!!!”

The moment the game ended, the entire stadium erupted in cheers.

The French players were all beaming with excitement, especially Pogba and Varane, as this was their national team debut. Such a victory would greatly help boost their confidence.

Gaio and his teammates hugged and celebrated, talking about Spain's huge upset.

Back in the locker room, Deschamps approached Gaio this time, saying, "I think you could attend the press conference later. It's your debut as the national team captain; you should probably make an appearance."

Gaio thought for a moment and nodded.

Although he dislikes interacting with the media, as his influence on the field grows, he sometimes has no choice but to give interviews.

When Gaião first appeared at the national team's post-match press conference.

This caused a sensation at the scene. Gaio is now considered to be the hottest star in the football world.

Many reporters were waiting to ask Gaio some questions.

Deschamps was the first to give an interview.

Deschamps said, "This was a planned victory. Three points are the most important thing. The players executed the tactics and were quite focused."

"Young perfectly fulfilled his duties as captain. His involvement in three goals was not only a testament to his individual ability but also a result of teamwork. Paul's passing timing was precise, and N'Golo and Rafael's defensive coverage created space in the attacking third. However, a finisher needs to be calm and decisive, and Young did that tonight."

Another reporter asked about Gaião becoming the captain of the French national team.

Deschamps said, "Why? Because he is the most suitable candidate, the one everyone wants, it's that simple."

He then addressed the situation regarding Spain and the group standings: "Spain's draw only proves that nothing in football is a given. It reminds us that every match is a tough battle, and the next match against Spain is the final! We don't care about others, we only focus on ourselves. Our goal is clear: to win at home and secure first place in the group!"

"Spain will be tougher, I know that, but our advantage is unity and determination. The players know what to do, and focus, discipline, and execution are all essential."

When it was Gaio's turn, he held up three fingers and said, "Only three questions."

He doesn't like dealing with the media, but it seems he's slowly having to step into the limelight. If he has to deal with the media, then he can keep it simple.

After a brief moment of surprise, the reporters quickly got to work.

"How would you rate the match?"

Gaio: "We won, that's great. The goal was the result of teamwork. Olivier's runs, Paulo's passes, and N'Golo covering the whole field—everyone played very hard. This was Paulo and Rafael's national team debut, but they played well and integrated quickly."

"How does it feel to wear the captain's armband for the first time?"

Gaio smiled. Was he supposed to give him those motivational platitudes? He didn't like that. He answered half-jokingly, "I'm not some captain. I just want to play football with my brothers, celebrate together when we win, and shoulder the burden together when we lose. Running one more step on the field, shouting one more word, it's that simple."

"Looking ahead to the next match against Spain?"

Gai: "It'll be a tough game, the opponent is very strong, but we're ready. See you on the court!"

Gaio's first national team press conference ended very simply.

He then got up and left together with Deschamps.

The reporters were still replaying Deschamps and Gaião's words in their minds, especially Gaião's statement, "I'm not the captain, I just want to play with my brothers," which the reporters felt had something to explore.

They think Gaio meant that only those he acknowledges are his brothers.
Only then would you be willing to play football together?
Thinking about it this way, and considering Gaio's drastically different attitudes toward Menez, Nasri, Benzema, and Giroud, Kanté, and others, it seems there's more to this than meets the eye.
(End of this chapter)