Whoosh!
The ball struck the net like a fish tail flicking in the Meuse, creating ripples that vanished instantly. The ball bounced twice before settling quietly in the net, much like the hearts of the local Sedan fans—racing during the buildup, then completely deflated after the goal.
"Perhaps we shouldn't have had any expectations," one Sedan fan told his friend in the stands. This sentiment was shared by most Sedan supporters.
Julien's right-flank advancement, just minutes into the match, already required their players to defend desperately, even resorting to frequent fouls to stop him. This was the absolute difference in quality.
In top-level leagues, it's extremely difficult for one player to massively impact a match. But in lower divisions, a star's individual ability can be displayed to its fullest—like Julien now.
As the ball hit the net, the Ligue 2 commentator exclaimed: "De Rocca! Genius, Historic-level talent! People once called him Ronaldo, called him Ronaldinho—he lost himself in the flowers and applause, but now he's back!"
Hadzibegic applauded continuously from the sideline—this was Julien's show. Ligue 2's level was no longer suitable for him.
At that moment, Hadzibegic looked forward immensely to the new season, but his enthusiasm was quickly tempered. Châtaigner had already told him that Julien would very likely leave the club in summer. Bastia was merely Julien's starting point.
While Hadzibegic pondered this, Châtaigner, sitting behind the bench, felt somewhat melancholy after his initial celebration. He had the same realization. He thought he could accept Julien's departure, but as the season neared its end, he understood that everything about the team now bore Julien's imprint.
Crash!
His emotions were quickly interrupted by another wave of fan gasps. Julien had become the absolute focus on the pitch. His presence created defensive pressure that worried Sedan fans, though their players managed to stabilize the situation temporarily without conceding again.
With most attention focused on defense, Sedan's attack offered little. Bastia's defense faced no serious threats, while Julien was heavily marked. Without clear opportunities, he chose not to force breakthroughs, instead roaming and waiting for chances.
In the 33rd minute, Sedan's counterattack was intercepted, and Bastia immediately launched their own counter! When the ball reached Julien, only one defender was near him—the others hadn't yet gotten into position.
Julien habitually drove toward the right flank. Full-back Kassim Abdulla was incredibly tense, eyes fixed on Julien's movements, ready to react at any moment. However, after just one second of confrontation, Julien flicked the ball outward with his left foot. Abdulla immediately responded, but knowing this must be a feint, he moved right instead of following Julien's apparent direction.
Julien simply pushed the ball forward and burst past him.
Gasp!
The fans were stunned—what kind of defense was that? To them, it looked like Abdulla had deliberately let Julien through, offering a very courteous "right of way."
Before they could process this, the situation changed dramatically. Julien cut in from the right flank as midfielder Valdivia and center-back Florentin Pogba rushed toward him.
When Julien first saw Florentin Pogba, he was somewhat surprised. 'This is Pogba? He looks so similar!'
He quickly realized this must be one of the brothers of the future French international Paul Pogba, whom fans would come to know well.
Florentin was tall and strong, half a head taller than Julien's 183cm, and powerfully built. Julien particularly enjoyed facing such physically strong but slow-turning defenders. Once their center of gravity was shifted, they could barely keep up with attacking players without fouling.
This Pogba brother soon experienced this firsthand. With just a shoulder feint, Julien made Florentin commit his weight, then pulled the ball back and nutmegged him, accelerating past before the defender could complete his turn.
"Too slow!" Sedan fans sighed, while Bastia supporters cheered, "Haha, Julien's nutmeg count for this match: +1!"
After breaking through, the other center-back Ismael blocked Julien's left side while goalkeeper Rame rushed out to cut off his forward path. Seeing this, Julien chipped the ball in the penalty area. The ball's arc peaked just over Rame and nestled into the net.
Another goal!
Julien had completed his brace, putting Bastia two goals ahead. He ran off the pitch looking for Bastia fans but couldn't see them—the away section was on the other side. So, he simply spread his arms wide in front of the home stands.
After Rothen had complimented this celebration, Julien adopted it as his signature move, and it was well-received. When he celebrated, expecting boos from Sedan fans, he was surprised to hear applause—even thumbs up from the stands. Sedan fans knew Julien's story well. They were Sedan supporters, but also France national team fans.
Julien smiled and waved back to the stands.
"Bastia has killed the suspense in the first half again!" the Ligue 2 commentator observed. "You can't say Bastia is exceptionally strong, but after consecutively eliminating Ligue 1 teams in the French Cup, they seem to have developed a winner's mentality. It's hard to define, but they're no longer the same Bastia as before—they now have the courage to compete with any opponent. Where does this change come from? I think everyone has the same answer: Julien De Rocca."
Châtaigner cheered vigorously in the stands, having made peace with the situation. 'Carpe diem—celebrate now! As for Julien's transfer, that's for him to think about. I just need to sign the paperwork.'
This goal completely extinguished Sedan's hopes of a comeback. With survival secured and promotion impossible, they had little motivation. The current Ligue 2 situation showed Bastia with a commanding lead, followed by Reims, Troyes, and Tours significantly ahead of the rest.
Sedan, along with Clermont, Nantes, Monaco, and others, were separated by just 1-2 points, with only 10 points separating 5th from 16th place. Only the relegation zone showed a significant gap.
This season's Ligue 2 had clear promotion and relegation pictures with little room for change. The middle teams, with similar points, had nothing to play for.
Soon, the referee blew the halftime whistle.
As Julien walked toward the dressing room, someone called out, "Hey! Julien!"
He turned to see Pogba—Florentin Pogba, not the one currently at Manchester United.
"Hello," Julien stopped and responded friendly.
"Hello Julien, um... I have a presumptuous request. Could I get your jersey?" Florentin asked somewhat embarrassedly.
"Of course!" This was Julien's first jersey request from an opposing player, though fans had asked many times.
Florentin was delighted, "My youngest son Elis is a huge fan of yours. He's eight years old, and I originally wanted him to play midfield, but after watching your matches, he insists on learning to play winger like you."
After giving Florentin his jersey, Julien smiled and said, "Children can try any position as long as they're happy." Then he added, "Florentin, your brother is doing well at United."
When Julien mentioned his brother, Florentin beamed with pride, "Yes, I'm a United fan, and seeing Paul in a United shirt makes me very proud." But his expression quickly darkened, "However, I won't lie—Paul isn't happy at United."
Julien looked at him inquiringly.
Florentin explained, "Sir Alex doesn't trust Paul. Every time I see him unable to play, I get angry—angrier than Paul himself. I've told him that if he has no opportunities at United, he doesn't need to stay. He can leave. He absolutely deserves to play for United, but if they won't use him, he can go elsewhere. United will see his performances and regret it!"
Julien nodded, well aware of Pogba's complicated history with United. Over the years, United would spend over €100 million on Pogba, plus tens of millions in signing fees and annual wages, ultimately getting nothing in return as he left twice on free transfers to Juventus.
This summer, Pogba would make his first free transfer to Juventus, and United's story as football's biggest spenders would officially begin next year after Ferguson's retirement.
Thinking of Juventus, Pierre had been saying they were actively pursuing him. He didn't share these thoughts with Florentin but exchanged contact information with him.
'Who knows if befriending Pogba early might protect me from any future voodoo curses?' He couldn't help but joke in his heart.
Soon, the second half began. Despite Julien creating several dangerous situations, Hadzibegic still chose to substitute him in the 55th minute. His approach with Julien was now as conservative as possible.
Two goals ahead was a significant advantage in Ligue 2. Even if they were pegged back after Julien's substitution, or even lost, Hadzibegic wouldn't be concerned. Losing one or two Ligue 2 matches wouldn't affect their championship bid, but if Julien got injured, that would truly impact their title chances!
When Julien left the field, all Sedan fans applauded him, eager to see this young man's future performances for France.
Meanwhile, at London Colney, Arsène Wenger sat in his office watching this match. Julien's on-field performance brought many star players to mind—Papin, Henry, Djorkaeff, or perhaps Ronaldo and Ronaldinho.
'No.'
Wenger shook his head. Seeing Julien leave to stadium-wide applause, his eyes saw only Julien. He wasn't anyone's shadow—he was himself.
Wenger couldn't wait any longer. He wanted Julien at Arsenal next season. After Nasri's departure, Arsenal's right wing was the perfect stage for Julien.
Despite it being evening rest time, Wenger called Rice, "April 29th—we're going to the Stade de France."
Beep!!!
The final whistle sounded at Dugauguez Stadium. Bastia won 3-1, successfully extending their Ligue 2 lead to double digits—10 points!
Countless Bastia fans celebrated through the night, they were now so close to Ligue 1. Fans also chanted Julien's name enthusiastically—Ligue 2 top scorer with 15 goals in nine matches! This was genius-level efficiency!
In the post-match interview, when journalists mentioned these achievements, Hadzibegic couldn't contain his joy, "Yes, this is a miracle created by all of Bastia. In our first season back in Ligue 2, we have the possibility of winning the championship."
"Our last Ligue 2 title dates back to the 1967/68 season. This would be our greatest league championship trophy. Now we're about to win our second one. I believe the fans will be very happy—after all, this is a championship trophy 40-plus years in the making."
"Julien? I've never worried about his on-field performances. He's simply the best, isn't he?"
When asked about the month-end French Cup final, Hadzibegic shook his head, "No, I don't want to discuss that. I just want to be happy right now, not make the atmosphere so serious."
When Bastia's players returned home the next day, Corsican media had already printed premature championship headlines: "Ligue 1, Bastia is back!" and "Ten-point advantage! Bastia can declare early Ligue 2 championship!"
Fans strongly agreed with this assessment, already preparing to celebrate their second Ligue 2 championship and promotion season.
While Bastia celebrated, Julien wasn't training. Sitting in the passenger seat, watching Châtaigner drive toward Bastia's suburban youth academy, he felt slightly nervous.
Châtaigner had told him he would become the youth academy's youth ambassador. Being looked up to as an idol by young players always created some pressure for him. He understood deeply how one person could influence another, especially in youth.
Every word and action of an idol becomes a benchmark.
Soon, the car stopped at the youth academy gates.
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