"Corsican fans' passion is world-renowned. With thunderous cheers, waving independence flags, and burning flares, they'll transform their home ground into a 'Blue Hell.' Captain De Rocca leads a front line with tremendous attacking power, which may test PSG's defense and their weakness in turning speed."
The TF1 commentator was eager to begin broadcasting this match. He continued:
"Whatever the result, this match has already transcended pure sporting competition. For Bastia, this is grassroots football declaring war on financial giants; for Corsicans, this is a battle to defend their local cultural dignity. Tonight, every blade of grass at Stade Armand Césari will be soaked with Bastia passion."
"For Ancelotti and his PSG, only winning this match would justify their price tags."
Julien stood at the front as captain. Beside him was PSG's captain, Thiago Silva.
Under Ancelotti's coaching, PSG built their defense around Thiago Silva and replicated AC Milan's "Christmas Tree formation."
Julien glanced at Silva, who responded with a timely smile.
Playing football in France, it was hard not to know Julien's reputation. He was currently the most meteoric player in French football.
As a Brazilian, Silva had to admit that after watching Julien's highlight reels, he found similarities to his Brazilian predecessors, he had a very spectacular playing style.
Tonight, Silva would play left center-back, with his primary task being to defend against Julien's cuts inside. It would be a direct captain-versus-captain matchup.
"Let's go."
The referee checked the time and called to the players to enter together.
The moment they entered:
ROAR!
The thunderous sound from twenty thousand Bastia fans at Stade Armand Césari flooded every player's eardrums, it was almost painfully loud.
"Julien" and "Bastia" were the most frequently chanted words.
During the opening ceremony, Julien and Silva did the coin toss. PSG won possession.
Soon the players gathered in the center circle, waiting for kickoff.
On the sideline, the two coaches stood a few meters apart. Ancelotti looked serious but somehow carried an air of calm confidence. Hadzibegic appeared nervous.
This season was one of the few times he'd coached in a top-tier league, and this match was Bastia's most important game.
If they couldn't take points from a direct league rival, how could they win the title?
Yes—though Hadzibegic always publicly spoke of avoiding relegation, with the team sitting fifth in the table, claiming he had no championship ambitions would be a lie.
Win or lose, they had to go for it!
"JULIEN!!"
Suddenly, a massive roar erupted from the north stand—drums, clapping, everything together.
BOOM!
Drums sounded: "Julien!"
Clap clap clap!
A huge TIFO unfurled in the north stand—a familiar image that fans knew well: Julien's silhouette holding a crown, facing the mainland.
But this version had modifications. Julien's jersey now bore number ten. At his feet appeared PSG's crest, with torn euros scattered on the ground.
WHISTLE!!
Right on time, the referee blew his whistle to start the match.
Bastia's players didn't get lost in the opening chaos—this would be a difficult match, and that was their consensus.
From kickoff, Bastia dropped everyone back. Hadzibegic had set up a 4-4-2 formation.
Up front: Mané and Julien. Midfield: Palmieri, De Bruyne, Kanté, Rothen. Defense: Sidibé, Cahuzac, Choplin, Angoula. Goalkeeper: Novaes.
Hadzibegic concept was simple: establish a solid defense, then use De Bruyne and Rothen's long-passing ability to rely on Mané and Julien to take turns attacking PSG's defensive line.
The tactics were straightforward, but demanded high individual ability from the players.
After kickoff, PSG pushed forward with possession. Ancelotti had tried numerous formations with PSG, ultimately settling on the Christmas Tree 4-3-2-1, which transformed into 4-1-2-1-2 when attacking.
Goalkeeper: Sirigu Defense: Silva and Alex as center-backs, with Jallet at right-back and Brazilian international Maxwell at left-back. Midfield: Verratti, Mohamed Sissoko, and Matuidi. Attacking midfielder: Pastore. Front two: Ibrahimovic and Gameiro.
SWOOSH!
Just two minutes in, Pastore saw Bastia's defensive line sitting deep and tried a long-range shot from outside the penalty area. Cahuzac threw himself in front of it, deflecting the ball out for a corner.
Corner to PSG.
The TF1 commentator noted: "This match puts enormous pressure on Bastia's defense. Just two minutes in and they've already conceded a corner to Paris—this pattern may well continue throughout the match."
Verratti took the corner. Ibra tried to jump in the crowd but was pulled down by someone and fell to the ground. Novaes came out and punched the ball clear of the penalty area with one fist.
"Hey! Foul!" Ibra sat on the ground, angrily gesturing to the referee. The referee simply motioned for him to get up.
The Play continued.
Bastia had virtually no possession, they were completely pinned back. Even Julien's position had dropped into his own half to help with defending.
The home fans weren't discouraged by the one-sided play, continuously cheering their team. When Ibra got the ball, fans even shouted: "Ibra, you softie!"
On the sideline, Hadzibegic paced to relieve his anxiety at seeing such scenes.
In the stands, Geronimi and Chataigner looked equally tense. They desperately wanted to know how the team would perform after this season's all-in approach.
Championship slogans were easy to chant, but European football was littered with examples of clubs that went all-in on transfers only to see their squad chemistry collapse and destroy the team. Across the Channel in the Premier League, the former White Roses of Leeds United had destroyed themselves exactly this way.
Whoosh!
Kanté made a sliding tackle, knocking the ball away from Pastore's feet and out for a throw-in, earning applause from the fans.
Kanté faced tremendous defensive pressure in this match. Unlike other players who showed passion after successful defensive actions, Kanté simply got up immediately and focused on marking nearby PSG players.
At this moment, the broadcast cameras found Deschamps in the stands.
The TF1 commentator smiled and said, "Deschamps has come to watch. Both sides in this match have French internationals, as well as players who could potentially be selected for the French national team. Oh my God! De Bruyne!!"
He suddenly exclaimed.
On screen, PSG had thrown the ball in, Ibra received it, but Cahuzac and Choplin combined to poke it away from behind him.
De Bruyne controlled the ball. Matuidi immediately rushed up to intercept, but De Bruyne flicked and pulled the ball with his feet, using his rhythm to spin around and shake off Matuidi completely.
Instead of continuing forward, he suddenly launched a long pass!
This move drew gasps from the crowd!
Ancelotti saw the pace of Bastia's forwards and his expression fell—
（o_O）
He stared blankly toward his backline.
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