Verratti had already sensed Julien's sudden attack beside him.
He lunged forward desperately, and when he realized he couldn't get to the ball first, he threw himself into another sliding tackle.
This Italian genius midfielder who transferred to Paris Saint-Germain from Serie B side Pescara was limited by his height—this was the only way he could defend.
But Julien was faster than his sliding tackle!
He got to the ball first and poked it away.
A gap opened up in front of him, and Silva quickly rushed in to cover.
Julien glanced at the situation in the penalty area but chose not to shoot from distance.
Instead, he faced Thiago Silva directly—AC Milan's defensive anchor and Brazil's national team star defender.
Julien didn't slow down.
Just as Silva was about to close in on him, he suddenly changed pace. The ball danced between Julien's feet, but Silva, having come through Brazilian football, had seen countless dribbling rhythms and wasn't fooled. He stayed with Julien resolutely.
But in football, the attacker always holds the initiative.
Julien deliberately exposed a weakness, seemingly losing control of the ball as he pushed it forward.
Silva couldn't resist. Facing a player several years younger than himself, he immediately stuck out his foot to intercept.
However, the moment Silva committed, Julien quickly pulled the ball back and cut past him.
Verratti, who had been chasing from behind, saw what was happening and desperately grabbed onto Julien.
Meanwhile, after Silva was beaten, Alex also had to rush over to help defend.
Sirigu stared at Julien intently, not blinking.
Bang!
Under Verratti's interference, Julien spotted Mané making a run on the left. Instead of shooting, he pushed the ball to the left with the outside of his foot during his dribble.
Mané understood immediately. He charged forward and unleashed a powerful shot!
Whoosh!
Sirigu had already reacted the moment Julien made the pass, but Mané's shooting position was simply too close, and the ball was too fast. Despite his best efforts, he couldn't reach it.
The ball hit the back of the net.
2-1.
ROAR!
Under the night sky, the Cesari Stadium erupted with the passion of Bastia's supporters.
Blue flags rolled like ocean waves.
"Fight, Bastia!!"
Hadzibegic was thrilled to see the connection between Julien and Mané. This wasn't just about two goals—it helped him identify Bastia's optimal attacking lineup.
Palmieri was more useful than Mané defensively, but offensively, the aging Palmieri couldn't compare to Mané's youthful energy.
Bastia's "DDL" combination might need an "M" added—"MDDL"!
After scoring, Mané roared wildly.
He released all the frustration he'd accumulated during his two months at Bastia.
His first league goal!
After his passionate celebration, he embraced Julien tightly. "Hey, Julien, you could have shot that yourself."
Julien smiled and said. "You had the better chance."
That's what he truly thought. Last season, he definitely would have taken that shot himself, but De Bruyne was right—he should trust his teammates.
The other players rushed over too and hugged each other.
"Hold on!" Rothen shouted.
Everyone's eyes burned with fighting spirit. At home, they absolutely couldn't lose face.
A go-ahead goal always ignites passion.
The sound from the Cesari Stadium shot up into the night sky, merging with the scattered cheers throughout Bastia, lighting up the entire night.
Hearing such momentum, Deschamps smiled at Zidane. "Julien has improved again. He's playing smarter. This goal is just a microcosm of his recent performances. I could sense the difference in him during the World Cup qualifiers."
Zidane nodded. "That's why I think staying at Bastia is good for him. A player can only fully unleash his talent and develop faster when he becomes the core. If he went to a big club and sat on the bench, it would be a waste of his talent."
Then Zidane added, "Julien's passing ability is overlooked by many. In fact, I've learned that when Julien was in Chelsea's youth academy, he mostly played as an attacking midfielder. He has passing ability, but last season's Bastia rarely used it. They needed him to handle everything in attack—breakthrough and finishing all at once."
Deschamps laughed and said. "So, I think Bastia's potential hasn't been fully unleashed. They have one obvious weakness."
"What?"
Deschamps didn't keep him in suspense. "Tactics. Their coach doesn't understand what Bastia's current strengths are. He's still playing Ligue 1 with Ligue 2 thinking."
Time passed.
PSG continued their siege.
Whoosh!
The crowd gasped again.
Ibrahimović, holding off Angoula, unleashed a powerful shot that Novaes pushed over the crossbar with a spectacular save.
Ibrahimović pursed his lips and shook his head. He was somewhat annoyed that they were actually behind in this match. Coming from AC Milan to this "farmers' league" in Ligue 1, he felt it was beneath him, but he'd tolerated it for the money.
In his heart, he looked down on these Ligue 1 teams. Yet this match was giving him such trouble.
Soon after, Verratti took the corner.
The ball was lofted into the penalty area, with players from both sides jumping for it.
However, Silva, not particularly tall, perfectly judged where the ball would land in the crowd and headed it powerfully toward goal.
Whoosh!
Novaes didn't even react.
The ball found the net.
2-2.
In the 35th minute, PSG equalized.
Silva raised his arms in celebration, and in the corner, four hundred PSG fans excitedly waved their shirts.
Teammates ran toward Silva for the celebration.
This time they were smart—they celebrated on the pitch, and did not go to the sidelines.
Ibrahimović, seeing his teammate score, roared defiantly at the stands.
However, someone in the crowd had remarkably accurate aim and pelted Ibrahimović with some local "specialties."
Pfft! Pfft pfft!!
Ibrahimović felt his lips touch something that carried the fragrant essence of soil and grass.
The Bastia players weren't particularly downhearted by this conceded goal.
This came from the confidence that Bastia could also score.
"FORZA Bastia!"
"FORZA Julien!"
"FORZA De Bruyne!"
"FORZZZZAAA...…"
In the stands, fans began chanting slogans, including every player's name.
The Bastia players returned to the center circle.
Tweet!
The match continued.
PSG, knowing Bastia's attacking power, immediately pressed Bastia's attacking players after kickoff, denying De Bruyne passing space.
Looking around, De Bruyne could only pass backward to maintain possession first.
After scoring the equalizer, PSG didn't stop pressing. Their goal for this match was three points.
The TF1 commentator couldn't help saying, "Neutral fans are in for a treat—scoring seems easier than not conceding tonight!"
________________________________________________________
Check out my patreon where you can read more chapters:
patreon.com/LorianFiction
Thanks for your support!