The road to godhood starting from Ligue 1

Chapter 322 The Journey of Bastia: It's Time to Reach the End 2
drop!
The whistle sounded.

The referee pointed to the penalty spot.

Chelsea fans are finding it hard to accept that they conceded another penalty before even scoring a goal.

Benitez, standing on the sidelines, angrily berated the fourth official, "This is just normal competition!"

The Chelsea assistant coach also appeared furious.

Lukaku got up from the ground, grinning. With Gaião and De Bruyne both contributing, he had finally made a contribution.

This ball was a result of his offside run, and De Bruyne played a through ball to his feet.

Lukaku burst through the defense with incredible speed, only to be brought down by Ivanovic in an instant.

The referee awarded a penalty kick.

A huge wave erupted at Thesari Stadium!
Every face of the Bastia fans in the stands was contorted and flushed with extreme ecstasy!
The broadcast camera panned across the screen—

The young father lifted his child high in his arms. The little guy, wearing an oversized number 10 jersey that didn't fit him properly, waved his tiny fists in bewilderment. His clear laughter was drowned out by the deafening roar. This was a legendary moment etched into his childhood, a moment that would be told throughout his life.

Couples and elderly people were also there; everyone was celebrating in their own way.

Everyone had a smile on their face.

Gaio carried the ball to the penalty spot, placed it steadily on the ground, and then stepped back a few paces.

He stood with his hands on his hips and looked at Cech.

Looking at this legendary Czech goalkeeper, his expression remained largely unchanged.

The referee briefly reminded Gaio and Cech of the rules.

Throughout this time, the camera kept looking at Gaio.

soon.

Seeing that everything was ready, the referee blew his whistle again, signaling that the ball could be kicked off.

Gaio glanced at Cech's position again.

He let out a soft breath.

It will then start.

He had already figured out how to play this ball.

The run-up was completed in one smooth motion.

He kicked the ball, without any feint or hesitation, and it went straight into the top corner!
Bang!
The dull thud of the kick had barely faded when the ball was already in the net – clean and crisp!

There is no sloppiness.

The ball went in!
Cech guessed the right direction, but Gaio's shot was too tricky and had a high speed.

3-0.

This scoreline once again ignited Cesar's excitement.

Everyone was celebrating.

Gaio ran towards the sidelines with his arms outstretched, and he saw the ticket to the final being handed to Bastia.

The TF1 commentator excitedly exclaimed, "Gaio scores the penalty! 3-0!"

Bastia extended their lead to three goals in the 55th minute of the second half!

5-2 in total score!

Chelsea have been completely pushed off the cliff!
Look at that penalty kick! Absolute confidence, absolute power!

Without hesitation, Gaio took a run-up and, facing world-class goalkeeper Cech, unleashed a powerful shot that flew straight into the absolute corner of the goal!

The angle, power, and speed are all perfect!
Even if Cech had guessed the right direction, he was powerless to stop the ball! This was a textbook penalty goal, the kind of goal a top striker can achieve!

This goal was practically a death sentence for Chelsea!

They now need to score at least three goals in the remaining 35 minutes and not concede another one to turn the game around.

This is almost an impossible task; Benitez's team is on the verge of elimination.

Benitez on the sidelines seemed to have all his energy drained away in an instant.

The instant the football blasted into the net, all his previous anxiety, anger, and commanding body language froze and vanished.

He didn't fly into a rage, didn't complain, and didn't even make any obvious moves.

The clamor surrounding the coach's bench and the Bastia people's revelry seemed to be separated from him by a thick layer of glass.

He was immersed in a vacuum of failure.

He knew it was all over.

Although he had already decided to leave Chelsea, Abramovich did not want to keep him as manager, but he still wanted to prove himself with a Europa League trophy.

However, this cruel scoreline marks an incredibly bitter end to his Chelsea managerial career.

And right next to him.

The moment Gaio scored the penalty.

Hagi Begic was jolted up from the coach's bench as if struck by lightning!

He first raised both fists high, unleashing a long-suppressed roar filled with primal power towards the sky—

"pretty!!!"

His face was contorted with extreme ecstasy as he hugged the assistant coach and substitutes who rushed over, pounding their backs.

But this pure passion only lasted for a few seconds.

He quickly broke free from the celebrating crowd, his expression shifting almost instantly from ecstasy to extreme calm and vigilance.

He strode to the sideline, cupped his hands into a megaphone, and roared at his players, who were slightly relaxed due to the celebration: "Stay focused, the game isn't over yet! Pay attention to defense! Defense!"

As they walked towards the center circle after the celebration.

Gaio continued to raise his arms toward the stands, making the atmosphere even more intense.

"Geo!"

"Geo!!"

drop!
The game resumed.

As the game clock ticked away, the 0-3 scoreline weighed heavily on the hearts of every Chelsea player, fueling anxiety and despair.

They pressed forward with all their might, launching an almost frantic offensive, but the old problem persisted: they weren't efficient at finishing off their opponents.

They gained the upper hand but failed to score points.

To make matters worse, Bastia's counterattacks became more frequent and fiercer.

Chelsea's defense was running back and forth, and their stamina was dropping very quickly.

65 minutes.

Benitez made his first substitution of the match, replacing Lampard with Oscar.

This substitution not only baffled Chelsea fans, but even the commentators were somewhat puzzled. "When a long ball is needed, taking off Lampard doesn't seem like a good choice. Does Benitez really have that much faith in Oscar's attacking ability?"

When the 70-minute mark arrived, it became clear that Oscar was truly incompetent.

In his direct matchups against De Bruyne, he was basically unable to deliver any very threatening passes.

On the defensive end, Oscar looked like he'd been playing for ninety minutes as soon as he came on; his steps were heavy, and he couldn't run at all.

73 minutes.

Oscar's attacking pass was once again too obvious, a slightly overpowered pass that rolled straight into Bastia's defensive heart. Rothen intercepted the ball before Hazard could receive it and passed it to De Bruyne.

De Bruyne was being harassed by David Luiz. He flicked the ball, turned, and turned again, creating some space.

Bang!
He immediately launched a long pass, looking for Gaio. Moses made a desperate attempt to close in on Gaio, but as the ball fell, Gaio simply flicked it back slightly, then turned and completely shook off Moses.

Moses may be fast, but compared to Gaio's skill, he's just a rough guy and gets completely crushed.

Next second,
Gaião instantly accelerated to his peak speed, dribbling the ball straight towards Chelsea's backfield, which was now empty due to the large number of players pressing forward!

This was an excellent opportunity to counterattack, almost a fatal one-on-one chance!

Ramirez, acting as the last line of defense in midfield, almost instinctively chased back at full speed.

He knew he absolutely could not let Gaio go any further!
But the image of the referee and that glaring yellow card flashed through his mind, and he hesitated for a fraction of a second.

No more hesitation!

Just as Gaio was about to completely shake him off and break into the deadly zone, a look of desperate ruthlessness and helplessness flashed in Ramirez's eyes.

He knew full well what this meant, but he had no other choice.

Ramirez grabbed Gaio's shoulder and pulled Gaio's arm.

After taking two steps, Gaio had no choice but to stop.

drop! !

The referee's whistle blew sharply, and he rushed to the scene without hesitation, his right hand already reaching for his chest pocket.

Ramirez didn't argue; he didn't even look at the referee. He just stood there with his hands on his hips, looking up at the night sky in despair.

He knew it was all over.

The referee stood in front of him, first clearly showing the second yellow card, and then firmly raising the red card that symbolized the final punishment.

Two yellows turn into one red!
Ramirez has been sent off!

At this moment, for Chelsea, the 0-3 scoreline was compounded by the ultimate despair of playing with one less player.

The outcome of the match was completely decided.

Ramirez, head down, slowly walked toward the players' tunnel amidst a deafening chorus of boos. Along the way, Chelsea teammates would pat him on the shoulder or head to comfort him.

When he left the field, he didn't even glance at Benitez, and went straight to the locker room.

The commentator shook his head. "This decision has practically sealed Chelsea's fate. They already needed to score at least three goals in the remaining time to create a miracle, and now they're down to ten men. This is not only a devastating tactical blow, but also a complete psychological collapse. To some extent, you could say the game is over."

Hagi Bejic didn't lose his temper because of the red card; his first instinct was to signal to his players, "Defense!"

This is what he considers most important.

Benitez sat back on the bench, no longer wanting to struggle.

From the subtle changes in the locker room, he knew that he and the team were no longer truly united.

Time passes minute by minute.

Chelsea have given up the fight. Absolutely no one knew before the match that Chelsea would be so thoroughly defeated!
It's unbelievable.

Ninety minutes are almost up.

The Bastia fans in the stands were itching to celebrate.

At this moment, the sound of the chorus singing the team song grew louder and louder.

getting bigger.

Gaio also stopped running, looked at the scoreboard, and smiled.

Europa League Final!

He didn't know whether his opponent would be Benfica, who were cursed to never win the European Championship, or Fenerbahce, the Yellow Canaries, nicknamed "Sar Kanaryalar".

but,

He wanted to win the championship; it was time for his journey in Bastia to come to an end.

Say goodbye with a championship.

perhaps,

It was the most beautiful memory he left for Bastia.

London.

Abu turned off the TV immediately; he didn't want to watch anymore, it was too frustrating.

He picked up the phone and dialed a number.

The other party answered almost immediately.

Abu asked, "How many people did you talk to this summer?"

On the other end, Granovskaia immediately rattled off a string of names, including Falcao, Schürrle, Eto'o, and Wilhelm.

Abu remained noncommittal, saying only, "Make Gaio a priority target and get some rest."

After that, hang up the phone.

Granovskaya was already used to Abu's sudden phone calls and sudden arrangements.

However, Abu could give her tasks at any time, but she didn't issue any tasks to her subordinates at this late hour.

She simply wrote an email and sent it to the recipient's inbox.

After sending is completed.

Granovska looked at the television broadcast; the match had just ended.

The camera focused on the Chelsea players' disappointment.

It was the Bastia players' madness.

Gaião, who was substituted after just 80 minutes, has become the absolute focus of attention.

Granovska saw his close-up shot.

Eyes burning.

She was determined to bring him to Stamford Bridge because if Abu wanted it, she was determined to make it happen!

Broadcast footage is just a visual representation.

You can never truly experience the passionate, exhilarating moment when tens of thousands of people are going wild without being there in person.

When the referee blew the final whistle, the entire Thessaloniki stadium seemed like a bomb that had been detonated, instantly unleashing the most extreme and purest emotional energy, enough to tear the night sky apart!
3-0!

5-2 in total score!

"We've made it to the finals!"

The shouts erupted simultaneously from tens of thousands of throats, converging into a deafening, tearful tidal wave that instantly engulfed the night sky above the Cesarian stadium.

In the stands,
The enormous, prophetic TIFO was unfurled once more, and the fans trembled violently with excitement. Gaio's figure, with his arms outstretched, seemed to come alive in the countless hands that held him up, as if he were about to fly with the entire stadium.

The players are the most turbulent waves in this blue ocean!
They ran, hugged, and roared.

Kante and Rothen embraced tightly, Van Dijk pounded his chest in excitement, and De Bruyne pointed to the stands, tears welling in his eyes.
And the focus of everyone's search is undoubtedly Gaio.

Under the lights, that blue number 10 jersey was a banner of victory. He was the god of this island, the legend who led them across 35 years to touch the dream of the finals again!
From the near miss in 1978 to the triumphant return in 2013, hope has never been so real and fervent.

Hajibegi hugged Gaio without saying a word, his moist eyes betraying his feelings.

Chatham, in his box, longed to go down and celebrate with them.

Abdullah smiled and said to Chatham, "Congratulations."

He was very satisfied with the game. He not only saw Gaio's talent, but also the secret to Bastia's success. If possible, he would like to poach several players from Bastia's starting lineup.

Chatham smiled broadly. "Thank you."

He was so excited that he was completely unaware of Abdullah's thoughts.

(End of this chapter)