The road to godhood starting from Ligue 1

Chapter 334 Witness
"Welcome to the Amsterdam Arena, ladies and gentlemen!"
Tonight, we will witness not only a Europa League final, but also an epic showdown about history, destiny, and redemption!
On one side is the Portuguese giants, Benfica. Burdened by the heavy 'Gutmann curse,' they've reached the European final six times in over half a century, finishing as runners-up each time. Every single time, they've fallen just short of the trophy. Tonight, they yearn for a victory to shatter this 51-year-long nightmare, allowing the eagle to finally break free of its shackles and soar to the top of Europe!

On the other side, there's the flame from Corsica – Bastia! Their story, too, is written in tears. 35 years ago, on this same Dutch soil, they lost their first-ever European final, their dream slipping through their fingers. Now, they return carrying the regrets of their fathers and the hopes of the entire island, ready to put an end to a heartbreak spanning 35 years, achieving the ultimate revenge and redemption!

All eyes were on one person—Yan Gaio!

This prolific striker, who swept across Europe with 27 Europa League goals, almost single-handedly carried Bastia to the final. He is the volcano of Corsica, the ultimate nightmare for Benfica's defense, and the absolute protagonist of tonight's legendary drama!

On one side is a century-old powerhouse eager to break the curse, and on the other is a Mediterranean dark horse seeking revenge for its fathers. Under the Amsterdam night sky, two extreme desires are about to collide violently!
Will Benfica finally break free from its fate, or will Bastia complete its epic cycle of redemption?
The answer will be revealed in 90 minutes, or perhaps 120 minutes!
Ladies and gentlemen, prepare yourselves to witness history!

The shouts of the live commentators echoed across corners of the world through the broadcast cameras.

Countless fans are eagerly awaiting it.

Just now, the players finished warming up and entered the locker room for final preparations.

Amsterdam Arena is divided into two distinct halves.

One side is red, and the other side is blue.

Portuguese and French songs mingled in the night sky, and the stadium, which can hold more than 55,000 fans, was already trembling even before the match started.

The Bastia locker room was rather quiet, with only the rustling sounds of the players preparing.

Haji Begichi stood in the middle, his gaze calmly sweeping over each face as he looked at his disciples and made the final adjustments.

Some people couldn't put their shin guards in the right place, and some tied their shoelaces several times.

When the time is almost up.

Haji Begitch walked to the tactics board, his voice deep and clear, like a stone thrown into a deep pool.

“Children,” he began, without shouting, yet each of them unconsciously straightened their backs and looked at him, “the noise outside belongs to others; the quiet here is ours.”

He lightly tapped his finger on the name that was repeatedly circled on the tactics board—Gaio.

“Listen, everyone outside is talking about Yang, studying him, and thinking about how to lock him down.” Haji Begitch raised his eyes, looked at Gaio, and then at everyone else. “But they don’t understand—our strongest has never been any one person.”

His gaze met the eyes of each player in turn: De Bruyne, Kanté, Lukaku, and so on.

"Our greatest strength lies in the gaps that appear in the opponent's defense when Yang is surrounded by multiple opponents."

"This is an opportunity we absolutely must seize!"

"Everyone on the field must keep up with the same rhythm!"

He leaned forward slightly, his voice lower yet more penetrating: "Forget this is the final, forget the curses and the outside world's disturbances, just remember to pass the ball to the brother you trust, and then run to the next position where he needs you."

"That's it, go." His final words were like giving an order for a routine training session. "Go play this game well for each other, for yourselves, for everyone."

There was no roaring, no harsh shouting.

At this moment, Haji Begichi appeared unusually calm and amiable.

Then, Gaio was the first to stand up and extend his hand.

Come on, for each other.

Next, the hands of De Bruyne, Kanté, Lukaku, and everyone else were stacked together.

"Fight, Bastia!!"

The voice was fervent and resolute.

Afterwards, Gaio and his teammates high-fived each other to encourage each other, and when they walked out of the locker room, everyone hugged Chatham, who was waiting at the door.

This time, Chatham wasn't waiting in the stands; he was going to be with his team!
He would be working in the players' tunnel, watching over everyone in Bastia.

"Be careful, you're going to face a lot of defensive pressure in this game," Chatham whispered in Gaio's ear as they hugged.

Gaio patted him on the back, signaling him to relax. "Don't worry, no three people can stop me. I'll get past them all."

After saying that, Gaio smiled and walked towards the players' tunnel.

As Chatham looked at Gaio's back, he recalled the first time he learned about Gaio. The scouting report described Gaio as "overconfident in his talent, playing as an attacking midfielder and winger, always trying to get past everyone on the other side with his dribbling skills, and playing very selfishly."

But now, Chatham is laughing.

boom!
Boom boom! !
The match hadn't even started yet, but the roar of the Amsterdam Arena had already filled the players' tunnel, washing over everyone and making the atmosphere increasingly tense.

Benfica's players, especially the defenders, stared intently at Gaio at the front of the pitch. Their sole objective for the night was to shut down Gaio!
Gaião then glanced at Matic, a former Chelsea midfielder and Benfica's midfield maestro.

Matic transferred from Kosice in Slovakia to Chelsea in 2009, but never got a chance to play. Chelsea eventually sold him to Benfica for €500 million.

Meanwhile, Matic is getting stronger and stronger at Benfica, and Chelsea are reportedly interested in activating the buy-back clause.

However, Gaio only glanced at him briefly; this was not his main opponent. Matic was Kanté's target.

While Benfica was studying Bastia and learning that Gaio needed to be limited, Bastia was also studying Benfica.

"go!"

Amid the commotion, referee Bjorn Keppers signaled for the field to open.

Gaio composed himself and resolutely stepped onto the court.

Wow!

Like breaking through the surface of water from the bottom, Gaio felt his senses become instantly clear, and the voices of the fans also became clear.

Go Gaio!

"Bastia will be the champion!"

"Geo!"

Fans on both sides shouted excitedly, but Gaio did not respond. He tapped the sideline with his toes and stepped onto the field.

"The players have already begun their pre-match ceremony; the game will officially start in two or three minutes."

The commentator kept talking, his mouth never stopped, as the broadcast camera panned across the many celebrities, luminaries, officials and so on in the stands.

The commentators will also give a brief introduction.

"Zidane was present at the match. Before the game, he said that Gaião was the French player with the best chance of winning the Ballon d'Or, and he firmly believed that Bastia would bring the European championship back to France in this match."

"Le Guerra and UEFA President Platini were both in the stands. I believe they must have been very pleased to see a French team reach the Europa League final; it's a glory for French football."

The pre-match ceremony proceeded steadily, accompanied by the commentators' introductions, until both teams finally stood in the center circle.

The noise from the crowd grew increasingly intense!
On the stands, Modoso waved his flag vigorously, leading his companions in shouting their Bastia slogans at the top of their lungs.

They are trying their best to suppress Benfica!
but.

Benfica fans had a numerical advantage, while Bastia ultimately didn't have enough fans. It was quite an achievement that they managed to get over 10,000 people to attend.

Keppers was already checking his watch, waiting for the time to arrive.

The commentator quickly introduced the starting lineups for both sides: "Jesus has fielded a 4-3-3 formation. The front three are Gaitan, Oscar Cardoso, and Salvio; the midfield three are Enzo Perez, Matic, and Rodrygo; the defense four are Almeida, Luisão, Garay, and Melgarejo, with Artur Morais in goal."

"Bastia's formation is 4-4-2, with Lukaku and Gaio up front, Palmiri, Kanté, Rothen, and De Bruyne in midfield; Sidibé, Joplin, Van Dijk, and Angura in defense, and Damian Martinez in goal."

The whistle blew as soon as the commentator finished speaking.

drop--!!

The match has officially begun!
boom!
A thunderous roar erupted from the stands as the fans shouted even more fiercely.

Bastia has possession of the ball.

As soon as the ball was kicked off, Benfica's midfield and forward players surged across the midfield line like a tidal wave, forming a highly aggressive pressing network.

Cardozo charged directly at Bastia's center-back line, while Rodrigo and Gaitán precisely blocked the passing lanes to the defensive midfielders.

The two wingers pushed forward to their limits, compressing the distance between themselves and the Bastia full-backs to within inches. The entire formation resembled a tightening crimson net, attempting to pin the opponent firmly in their own half.

however,
Despite Benfica's initial high press, Bastia displayed extraordinary composure and discipline.

They did not blindly kick out.

The two center-backs quickly moved to the flanks, forming a triangular formation with the sweeper, maximizing the use of the width of the pitch and breaking through Benfica's first line of attack.

De Bruyne frequently dropped back between the defensive lines, becoming an additional passing option, quickly transferring the ball with a simple one-touch pass.

De Bruyne would occasionally drop back deep into the field, using his wide vision and precise long passing skills to be ready to send long passes across the pressing line into the attacking third.

Benfica's high-pressing tactics create a huge space for counter-attacks.

Gaio lingered near the defensive line, knowing that Benfica was gambling on a one-shot kill on Bastia!
Gaião didn't wait for the ball; he used his running to draw and stretch Benfica's defense, forcing their defenders to be hesitant to push too far forward, which relieved a huge amount of pressure on his own backfield's passing.

but,

During Gaio's run, the opposing defender Melgarejo always made some small fouls.

Most of Benfica's players come from South America.

Those who know about the football style over there understand.

It's perfectly normal to get into a fight while carrying a ball.

Under such intense pressure, Benfica finally allowed Bastia to find their mistake!

It's De Bruyne again!

He made a quick short pass to Rothen, "walking around" the opposing player who was pressing him, and then De Bruyne immediately turned around.

Bang!
A long pass!
Gaião and Lukaku started their run simultaneously, and De Bruyne's pass found them precisely.

Lukaku and Gaio ran a cross.

Lukaku rushed forward, drawing the defender's attention, and the ball was caught by Gaio with his back to goal.

Benfica's left-back Melgarejo, the Paraguayan international, immediately pressed hard from behind, his left arm subtly wrapping around Gaio in an attempt to shut him down.

however,
Just before receiving the ball, Gaio seemingly unintentionally pushed his left elbow back, which landed right below Melgarejo's ribs, causing the opponent to grunt and momentarily halt his power.

Taking advantage of the opening, Gaio cleverly passed the ball back with his right foot, then leaned back and pinned the unbalanced Melgarejo down beneath him.

However, the ball was cleared by the onrushing center-back Garay.

Lukaku and the Benfica players were both raising their hands to indicate that the other had committed a foul, but the referee's view was blocked and he did not make a call.

Gaio got up expressionlessly and quickly launched an attack.

Melgarejo has been using dirty tricks several times recently, so Gaio is not the "well-behaved player" he seems to be.

Melgarejo was in a bit of a predicament. He lay on the ground and saw that the referee didn't react. He wanted to continue dribbling, but then he saw that the ball that Gare had cleared was intercepted by Kanté who had made a forward run.

Ignoring the pain, he quickly got up and chased after the person.

Here

Kante intercepted the clearance and, without hesitation, immediately passed the ball to De Bruyne, who had made a run forward to receive it.

Before Benfica's defense could fully retreat and take its position, Bastia's second wave of attack arrived!
De Bruyne made a slight adjustment, and facing the pressing defender, he delivered a low through ball that precisely passed through the gap in the flank and found Lukaku, who was making a diagonal run towards the byline.

Lukaku used his strong physique to hold off the chasing defender and managed to take a low shot from a very tight angle!

The shot was both straight and weak, and Benfica's center-back Luisão, who had tracked back to defend in front of the goal line, flicked it with his foot, causing the ball to deflect.

It drew a strange high parabola and flew straight towards the right side of the penalty area near the baseline!

Just when everyone thought the attack would end in a corner kick.

Gaio did not give up.

His eyes were fixed on the ball that was about to go out of bounds. The opposing defenders didn't catch up immediately, which gave him an opportunity.

With his amazing explosive power, Gaio charged straight to the byline and caught up with the ball just as it was about to go out of bounds!
His body was almost parallel to the baseline.

Benfica goalkeeper Artur Morais quickly moved to block the near post, preparing to intercept a possible cross.

He judged that Gaio's only option was to pass the ball back to the middle.

At that very moment, Gaio made a choice that left everyone speechless—

With the body twisted to its extreme, flexibility is enhanced, and the ultimate instinct is unleashed!

Gaio felt like a long-legged fish swimming in the air.

He used the outside of his right foot to forcefully flick the ball against the bottom!
It created an arc that resembled both a pass and a shot!

(End of this chapter)