The road to godhood starting from Ligue 1

Chapter 307: Plans Change, No More Fighting Relegation, Now Aiming for the Championship

Gaio faced Rothen and listened as he spoke these words, one by one.

My mind is in turmoil.

Old generals never die, they just gradually fade away.

The familiar face before me—always sporting a playful smile, cracking jokes, using exaggerated body language to defuse tension in the locker room, and even laughing loudly when a younger player beat me on the training field, slapping their butt and yelling, "You brat!"

Rothen had expressed himself many times, so Gaio knew that Rothen was usually cheerful, liked to joke with his teammates, and always said "it's no big deal." He was also always the first to stand up for his teammates when conflicts arose on the field.
But all of this was him demonstrating his role as a veteran player on the team.

He still has a dream about football.

If that weren't the case, he wouldn't have come to the island of Corsica after a year without playing football.

If it weren't for that, he wouldn't have burned so brightly for the championship after a life of wandering.

Rothen's professional career is more like a dramatic and unpredictable professional football movie.

He experienced the peak of Monaco, and also tasted the desolation of falling to the bottom.

He could have ended his career with dignity, bearing the titles of "former national team player" and "Champions League runner-up".

Gaio reached out, not to give a high five, but to firmly grasp Rothen's hand, the force conveying a silent contract.

He met Rothen's gaze.

"Okay, definitely!"

A simple answer made Rothen's eyes shine even brighter.

It's not like a promise, yet it's still a promise.

De Bruyne looked at Gaio, not at all surprised by Gaio's answer; he knew Gaio would work hard to bring all of this to the team.

Not just for Rothen,
It is also for everyone in Bastia.

now.

Silence fell in the locker room. This was not a silence of defeat, but a silence filled with fighting spirit in the face of an unpredictable future.

Haji Begitch stepped out of silence at the right moment.

He clapped his hands.

Like an unapproachable, rigid coach, he said, "Alright, we'll talk about the finals later. Right now, we should be thinking about how to play the second half."

Rothen nodded slightly to Gaio, then returned to his position.

Everyone else also turned their attention to Haji Begitch.

Hagi Begic glanced around the locker room and began to plan the tactics for the second half.

"You must control the tempo. Once you have possession, don't blindly launch long balls! De Bruyne, Kanté, Rothen, you three midfielders, keep the ball in check with passing, pass back and sideways more often, keep the ball at your feet, run out of time, wear down the opponent's patience and stamina, and make them chase the ball."

There's also space to control. When defending, tighten both lines, keep them compact, and compress the movement space of Basel's forwards. Kanté, your task is to lock down their key number 10, stick to him like a shadow, and don't let him comfortably get the ball and organize the attack.

Finally, control the counterattack. When they press forward to attack, there will inevitably be gaps behind them!
This is our deadly weapon!
Gaião, Lukaku, and Mane, you three spearheads, be ready to launch at any time. Once you intercept the ball, use the fastest speed and the simplest passing to break through their defense!

Gai, I have complete faith in your finishing! Give it your chance, and shoot it into the goal!

After making some arrangements, Hagi Begic once again turned his attention to Rothen.

"The second 45 minutes are the first hurdle to overcome on the road to the Netherlands. Hold onto the 3-1 lead, or even extend it! Use the calmest mind, the most tenacious defense, and the most lethal counter-attacks to completely crush Basel at the Parc de Sésari Stadium. Don't leave the suspense for the second leg."

Time flies.

After halftime, the players from both sides returned to the field, and their expressions changed after the break.

The only constant is the eternal cheers from the Thessaloniki stadium!
Like the waves of the Mediterranean Sea, endless and continuous.

The atmosphere in Cesarri grew increasingly intense as the players waited in the center circle for the kickoff.

The current situation is completely different from what it was at the beginning.

The commentator said, "The second half is about to begin. Bastia returns to the field with a 3-1 lead. This score reflects the difference in strength between the two sides and is also a perfect display of Gaio's individual dominance. He scored twice in the first half and almost single-handedly tore apart Basel's defense!"
Throughout the season, Bastia has consistently ranked high in Ligue 1 and has defeated strong opponents in the Europa League. Their overall strength and competitive form are clearly superior to Basel in the Swiss Super League. In the first half of today's match, Bastia had the upper hand in terms of midfield control, attacking power, and overall speed of attack and defense transitions!

Basel are facing a desperate situation and must fight back! But the key question is: how to limit Gaio?

Both their individual and help defenses failed in the first half!
More extreme measures must be taken—double-teaming or even committing a tactical foul! Otherwise, he could score another goal at any moment, completely killing any suspense!
With a two-goal lead, Bastia are expected to focus on controlling the tempo, utilizing the midfield advantage of Kanté and De Bruyne to play steadily, while also being ready to launch deadly counter-attacks using Gaião's speed! Securing the victory is their primary objective.

If Bastia can stabilize their position, control the situation, and even score another goal on the counter-attack, then advancing to the Europa League semi-finals will be virtually guaranteed!

After all, their strength and condition are superior!
But the ball is round!

If Basel can bounce back from a desperate situation, capitalize on set-piece opportunities, or launch efficient counter-attacks to pull one back, or even more, the game might still be in suspense.

however,
The commentator's remark about Basel "perhaps there's still suspense" was abruptly cut off less than ten minutes into the match.

In the 54th minute, De Bruyne played a through ball straight to Lukaku's feet.

Bang!
Lukaku held off Schär and unleashed a powerful shot.

Fortunately, Sommer was fully focused and leaped into the air.

To shut out football.

However, when the ball bounced back, Gaio made a forward run and was pulled back by Wozniacki from behind, but he couldn't be stopped.

Gaio faced the opposing center-back coming to cover, Sommer who had just gotten up to block him, and a potential hat-trick.

They did not choose to shoot directly at the goal.

His angle was very small.

Instead, he made a cutback pass, sending the ball to De Bruyne, who was making an unmarked run into the middle.

Swish!
De Bruyne slotted the ball into the net, almost into an empty net.

4-1!

De Bruyne also scored twice.

He excitedly pointed at Gaio, rushed to the sidelines, and raised his arms in celebration to the fans in the stands.

"Kevin!"

"Geo!"

The fans cheered.

I'm so excited!

Lukaku rushed up and hugged Gaio and De Bruyne, laughing loudly, "The three of us are amazing! The LGD trio is invincible!"

On the sidelines, Haji Begitch laughed heartily in celebration.

This score not only represents the victory in this match, but could even represent the victory in this round of the knockout stage.

The scene that unfolded after passing through the locker room.

Hagi Begic also had some different thoughts in his mind. After the initial excitement, he said to assistant coach Dominic, "We can really expect more."

Dominic nodded. "Who could have predicted this at the beginning of the season?"

"Haha! Yeah!"

But Yakin, standing next to them, wasn't so happy.

He understands.

The game is over.

The Basel players are under immense pressure, so after the kickoff, Salah spared no effort to press Bastia alongside his teammates.

However, Bastia's midfield control is far superior to Basel's.

Instead, after they pushed forward, Bastia launched a counterattack.

They repeatedly put Basel's defense on the brink of collapse, looking extremely alarming. Yakin quickly ordered his men to tighten their backline. Not scoring wasn't a problem; there was always the second leg.

But if we concede another goal, it will be like the sky is falling!

The 4-1 scoreline put Hagi Begic at ease.

The time has reached seventy minutes.

He substituted Gaio and De Bruyne with midfielders Van Sant and Palmieri to strengthen control and protect the core players.

When Gaio left the court.

The stadium in Thesari erupted in cheers once again.

"Geo!"

"Geo!!"

The fans chanted his name tirelessly, over and over again.

Gaio waved in response.

Seeing this, Yakin on the sidelines breathed a sigh of relief, but a deeper worry rose in his heart—what to do when playing at home in the second leg?
He doesn't have an answer yet.

Even after Gaião and De Bruyne were substituted, Bastia's counter-attacks remained sharp, thanks to the presence of Mane and Lukaku, their attacking power was undeniable.

It's just that the finishing efficiency is relatively poor.

Basel's efficiency was even worse.

They didn't even manage to threaten Damian once.

finally,
drop!
When the final whistle blew, the game ended.

The stadium in Thesari was in a state of extreme excitement, after facing various doubts at the beginning of the season and now gaining a 4-1 advantage in the quarterfinals.

In particular, Bastia's performance, Gaio's individual play, and the high potential of young players like De Bruyne, Kanté, and Van Dijk were all noteworthy during this process.

They were all pleasantly surprised.

"Bastia!"

"Bastia!!"

The fans chanted again and again.

Bastia players celebrated excitedly with the fans, while Basel players could only serve as a backdrop, becoming a footnote on Bastia's road to success.

Salah stood on the field with his hands on his hips.

The young Egyptian winger was caught up in the endless cheers of Cesar, and stared blankly at the final score.

In the first half, he made several sharp breakthroughs, attempting to ignite a counterattack, but in the second half, his speed and agility were completely frozen in front of Bastia's overall compact defense.

Sweat mixed with grass clippings clung to his curly hair. He looked up at the boisterous Bastia fans in the stands, then at Gaio, surrounded by his teammates in the distance.

His eyes held a complex mix of emotions: resentment and frustration, a hint of bewilderment at the vast gap between them, and a sense of enlightenment at seeing a role model.

His gaze quickly focused.

Gaio walked toward him.

His steps were unhurried, his eyes focused, and he showed no arrogance of a victor.

Salah instinctively straightened his back, his complex post-match emotions instantly tightening.

Gaio stopped about a step away from Salah, not daring to approach rashly.

He tilted his head slightly, a smile appearing on his face, his gaze meeting Salah's. His voice wasn't loud, but it clearly pierced through the surrounding noise: "Mohammed, that time in the first half when you started from the right wing and changed direction to get past Kanté..."

He made a clean and crisp change of direction gesture. "That was fantastic. Kanter is the toughest defender I've ever seen. To get past him at that pace, you're really amazing."

Salah clearly didn't expect Gaio to come and praise him.

Somewhat stunned, he simply nodded subconsciously and murmured "Mmm," his expression somewhat hazy.

Gaio didn't seem to mind at all. Instead, he smiled again, pointed to his jersey, and continued in perfect English, "How about we swap jerseys if we can?"

Salah was somewhat surprised.

He nodded, quickly took off his number 22 jersey, handed it to Gaio, and said in a clearer voice, "Your performance tonight was unmatched."

Gaio also took off his jersey and handed it to Salah, draping it over Salah's shoulder and smiling at him. "Thank you. You need to maintain that kind of impact, Mohammed. Your speed, your changes of direction, they can tear apart any defense. See you next time, Switzerland."

Salah looked up and stared directly into Gaio's eyes. "See you in the next round."

Gaio nodded and said goodbye to Salah.

Afterwards, he followed his teammates to the die-hard fans' stand to express his gratitude, and then calmly walked back to the blue ocean that belonged to the victors.

Salah, on the other hand, headed towards the players' tunnel.

His mindset had undergone a tremendous change. He looked down at the shining name on his jersey, then looked up in the direction Gaio had left. The resentment and confusion in his eyes were gradually replaced by a more intense and determined light.

As a fellow right winger, he knew Gaio's abilities all too well.

That's a role model!

The celebrations in Cesar continued until the players left the field.

but,

The excitement of this match will continue to spread, with Bastia fans still excitedly discussing tonight's game even after leaving the stadium.

They are still discussing the performances of players like Gaião, De Bruyne, and Kanté.

That was a kind of hope that was rarely seen in Bastia.

It keeps them entertained.

Various topics continue to escalate online and in forums.

Fans happily scrolled through various news articles after the match.

When they saw Hagi Begic's post-match interview, they ignored all the other answers and only saw the one they most wanted to see—

"The goal at the beginning of the season? Yes, many people, including myself, talked about avoiding relegation and securing a foothold in the league."

But the charm of football lies in the fact that plans can never keep up with changes!
When a team has a talent like Gaio, a hungry fighter like De Bruyne, Kanté, and Lukaku, and Rothen…

At this point, Hajibegichi paused slightly, his voice lowering, and continued, "...such an old general burning with his last flame."

The goal will naturally be elevated accordingly!

We're no longer just a relegation team!
We are maintaining a good points lead in the Ligue 1 standings, and we are working hard to reach the Europa League semi-finals, where we also have a good advantage!
Every step is writing a new chapter in Bastia's history!

Why can't we dream more? Why can't we bring a trophy back to Corsica?!

Haji Begic spoke with a firm and powerful tone, no longer acting as a cautious old man, but as a passionate young commander!
"Now, we're talking about making history! We're talking about how to carry this volcanic, lava-like fighting spirit and cohesion into every minute of the season! We're talking about how to make the whole of Europe remember Bastia's youthful storm on the European stage!"

And then there were the veterans who had experienced the lows of Bastia; their yearning ignited a special emotion in the locker room.

It wasn't just about winning a game; it was about fulfilling an unfulfilled dream, a redemption that had been waiting for far too long.

This force will propel us all further!

Finally, he looked at the camera, his eyes gleaming with unprecedented ambition and determination: "So, yes, the plans have changed! Survival in the league? That's a thing of the past! Now, our goal is to climb higher in the league! And in the Europa League—"

He paused, then spoke each word with resounding force:

"Go as far as possible to the end,"

"For Corsica! For all those who believe in miracles!"

(End of this chapter)