When Nancy kicked off, they didn't immediately launch an attack. Like most weak teams facing Bastia, they chose to play it safe.
After being baptized by half a season of league matches, Bastia naturally wasn't so impulsive either. The players took their positions and stood at the ready.
Nancy's attacks mainly came from the flanks. Their number 8, left winger Mollo, was skilled at crossing.
Center forward Moukandjo's finishing ability was above average among relegation-threatened teams, with decent efficiency.
So, Nancy's tactics were quite simple.
But clearly, Bastia wouldn't give them such easy crossing opportunities.
With Choplin absent, Angoula returned to center-back, and Hadzibegic placed Clauss in the starting right-back position.
Clauss's performance over half the season had been commendable. Though still raw in many aspects, he was gradually showing his attacking talent.
At least for this match, Hadzibegic chose to start him rather than playing Michael at center-back and Angoula at right-back, precisely because he valued Clauss's attacking gifts.
He hoped Clauss could create some opportunities on the flank to relieve pressure on Julien.
Though Julien was strong, constantly making him clash with the opposing back line was too wasteful.
So, without De Bruyne available, Hadzibegic hoped Clauss could help Julien open up some space.
And this arrangement almost helped Bastia score in the third minute.
Third minute.
Clauss overlapped down the flank, Julien smoothly slipped the ball through, then Clauss crossed to the middle where Lukaku succeeded in attacking at the edge of the six-yard box.
A sweeping shot!
A ball that should go in just by hitting the target—somehow, he blasted it over the bar!
Crash!
The Bastia fans at the stadium gasped in shock, unable to believe the scene.
Missing this ball was harder than scoring it.
Lukaku also held his head with wide eyes, hardly believing he'd actually skied it.
After shaking his head, he turned toward Clauss who had delivered the pass and gave him today's first thumbs-up.
In the past, this first thumbs-up was usually reserved for De Bruyne.
In the stands, some fans joked, "Romelu is still better suited for mindless counter-attacks, just charging forward. Asking him to poach goals is a bit too much for him."
"What a waste of a guy nearly two meters tall with perfect center forward's physique, but no heading, no poaching ability. That's not easy either."
Some fans felt sympathy for De Bruyne: "They're still national teammates too."
Hadzibegic also felt regret that this ball didn't go in. However, this play did show that Clauss was indeed good in attack.
Not far from him, Nancy's head coach Fernandez saw that the ball didn't go in as merely Nancy's good fortune, because Bastia had penetrated their defense with just two simple passes.
Of course. Fernandez had become somewhat numb about whether they'd concede.
Why?
A simple statistic tells the story: in their previous 18 rounds of matches, they'd only scored 13 goals but conceded 29.
Moreover, after winning in the season's first round, they'd gone the next 17 rounds without a win!!
Seventeen rounds without victory, it was the longest winless streak in Ligue 1 this season. Nancy and Troyes were fiercely competing for first and second place from the bottom.
After 18 rounds, they'd only earned 10 points.
One can imagine what Nancy's players' morale was like now.
So, after Bastia got through the initial contact period, they gradually took control of possession.
Julien was extremely active on the right flank and in the right half-space.
Nancy had no answer for this. They could only retreat completely into defense.
Seeing this scene, the Bastia fans in the stands were extremely excited, they knew this match would very likely be won.
Because the opponents were truly too weak!
After experiencing two legs against Atletico in the Europa League, a team like Nancy really wasn't up to par.
In Modoso's words: "They're not even as tough to play as last season's Ligue 2 teams."
On the pitch.
Julien kept eyeing the opposing right flank's defensive formation. Though two players were constantly marking him, in his eyes, this defense was full of holes.
However, with Clauss helping to stretch the space, he didn't force a breakthrough but waited for a better opportunity.
In the eighth minute, that opportunity came!
Clauss's dribbling down the flank drew away the retreating Haidara. Of Nancy's entire right defensive line, Haidara was relatively the strongest. This player was apparently now being watched by Newcastle United in the Premier League and might very well be taken from Nancy to Newcastle in the summer window.
As Clauss drove forward with the ball, Julien suddenly cut inside.
Clauss read his mind and suddenly stopped, turned, and sent the ball in front of Julien.
Salif Sane and Puygrenier quickly joined trying to stop Julien.
However, in the next moment, after receiving with his left foot and facing the two players, Julien touched the ball to his right foot. Salif and Puygrenier didn't dare move, just watching Julien's body.
Seeing they weren't fooled, Julien's fake breakthrough naturally became a real one.
With his right foot, he pushed the ball through the legs of the deeper-positioned Salif, instantly accelerating past Salif's left side.
Crash!
The fans erupted at Julien's nutmeg, with shouts of "through the legs" rising from the crowd.
Julien completed the breakthrough!
Nancy's other center-back, Andre Luís, quickly came to cover. For this match, Fernandez had arranged three center-backs specifically to park the bus defensively.
However, what he hadn't anticipated was that while he thought three center-backs meant tight defense, in Julien's eyes, three center-backs were actually more scattered and easier to penetrate!
This was the core flaw of this tactical system: width utilization was a major problem. Three center-backs naturally meant one less wide defender than a back four. Wing-backs had to both attack and defend, often becoming the weak point against strong teams and requiring high player quality!
Not to mention the issue of lateral movement, when three center-backs shifted to cover, gaps easily opened in the middle.
This was the opportunity Julien saw!
As Andre rushed forward, Julien didn't slow down but accelerated a second time, charging straight at him.
Andre was momentarily stunned, not knowing what Julien intended, but still relied on defensive instinct to meet him.
Just as he thought he would make contact with Julien, Julien dropped his shoulder and cut inside.
Andre panicked slightly, taking a step to follow. To prevent Julien from shooting, he even put his hands behind his back, after all, this was inside the penalty area, and a handball would be trouble.
Just as he took that step, before his foot even landed, Julien moved again!
Andre's heart immediately filled with foreboding.
Sure enough!
Somehow, despite Julien's height, his footwork frequency was astonishing. Andre saw Julien's right foot flick back.
Andre tried to twist his body around, but his head could keep up while his body couldn't.
After finally planting his foot solidly on the grass, he quickly pushed off toward Julien's direction.
Boom!
But what answered him was a dull thud.
Julien's entire sequence was too fast, so fast that Andre only managed half a movement before Julien had already connected with his shot.
The ball flew unobstructed toward the net!
Goalkeeper Gregorini's vision was blocked by Andre, making it impossible to judge Julien's shooting direction. By the time he saw the ball, it was already too late.
Swoosh!
1-0.
Julien scored, Bastia leading at home.
"JULIEN!!"
The instant the goal went in, the entire Cesari Stadium erupted into madness.
After scoring, Julien turned and ran toward the stands, standing before the stands behind the goal with a broad smile, arms spread wide, fully embracing the stadium-wide cheers.
"Julien!"
The fans' passion dispelled the cold winter night, shouting Julien's name over and over.
Lukaku and the others also rushed over, hugging Julien. "That was spectacular, you toyed with all three of them!"
Blue waves rolled through the stands, engulfing everyone inside.
Including De Rocca Family, Chataigner, and others.
Everyone sincerely felt happy for Julien. After the celebration, Chataigner said to the person beside him, "Virgil, what did I tell you? Julien can absolutely sweep through an entire defensive line by himself."
Virgil van Dijk couldn't help but shake his head. "Incredible footwork technique. His foot speed is really too fast, I've seen some players who are 1.7 meters tall without footwork this quick."
Chataigner laughed heartily. "This is Julien's talent."
Van Dijk had completed all his matches in the Netherlands and had even said goodbye to his teammates, telling them he was moving to Ligue 1, one of the top five leagues.
Initially, some had questioned why he'd join a promoted team.
Van Dijk simply said it was because of Julien: "I want to defend against him in training matches."
His teammates naturally didn't take Van Dijk's words as the real reason.
However, with his determination to become the best defensive player, after Chataigner showed him videos of Julien, he truly developed the desire to defend against him.
This was also a good opportunity to train his defensive abilities.
Moreover, Bastia had painted him a beautiful future: Europa League and Ligue 1 championship this season, with a very high probability of playing Champions League next season.
Chataigner continued, "After you come back from Christmas, you'll officially become one of us. I don't think you'll be disappointed."
"Of course!"
Just seeing Bastia's football atmosphere, Van Dijk already felt he'd come to the right place.
The match on the pitch soon continued.
Nancy, facing an increasingly dominant Bastia, struggled. In attack, relying solely on Moukandjo made it very difficult to create chances.
They hadn't even recorded a single shot.
Instead, Bastia used their mistakes to control possession, continuously pressing them from the flanks.
On the wing, Julien performed a Marseille turn to get past the advancing Haidara, then delivered a cross to Rothen in the middle.
This scene drew amazed applause from the fans at the stadium.
In Bastia fans' eyes, Julien was simply too cool!
Nancy's right flank had become Julien's highway; he could pass whenever he wanted.
The TF1 commentator exclaimed, "De Rocca is truly showing crushing ability. It's simply his personal performance, truly spectacular!"
And just as the commentator finished speaking, after Rothen pushed forward a few steps, he delivered a through ball.
Julien made a diagonal run!
The two completed an exquisite combination, directly piercing through Nancy's four-man defense.
"Whoa!!"
The fans exclaimed again, their eyes full of anticipation. Many fans had already stood up, ready to cheer.
The next moment.
Julien burst past the defensive line as goalkeeper Gregorini rushed out to block the near post.
Boom!
Julien's right foot sent a cross in front of goal. The advancing Lukaku finally arrived in time, held his position, stretched out a foot, and scored into the empty net.
Then both Lukaku and Sami, who was defending him, fell to the ground.
Lukaku's face was full of excitement as he quickly got up and rushed toward Julien. "Love you, Julien! My grandmother could've scored that pass!"
Julien opened his arms and embraced him.
Other teammates also rushed over to celebrate in a group hug. After finishing, Lukaku imitated Julien, spreading his arms toward the stands with a smile and patting the badge on his chest.
In the pre-match interview, Lukaku had declared his loyalty to Bastia: "I love it here. It's like my second home. I'm very happy here, and if possible, I'd like to stay forever."
Of course, while Lukaku meant it, Bastia couldn't take it seriously.
Simply put, Bastia couldn't afford him.
They couldn't afford the transfer fee or the wages. Even this season's loan saw Chelsea covering 30% of his salary.
It could be said that Chelsea was truly Bastia's great benefactor!
Not only loaning out Lukaku and De Bruyne but also covering 30% of wages.
With this goal scored, coach Hadzibegic on the sideline and the players on the bench were all extremely excited.
The broadcast even gave De Bruyne a close-up shot.
The TF1 commentator said, "Facing a relegation zone team, even without De Bruyne, De Rocca alone is enough to thrash the opponent. It's not even twenty minutes yet, and Bastia is already two goals ahead. Tonight's victory basically already belongs to Bastia. At this moment, I think Bastia can already start celebrating their half-season championship!"
That Bastia would win had basically become consensus.
Nancy simply couldn't stop Bastia.
Right after Julien and Lukaku's goal, in the 32nd minute, Mane used his individual ability to cut inside from the left and unleashed a shot that hit the post, further increasing Bastia's winning probability.
3-0!
When Mane celebrated with Julien in an embrace, he was beaming and said: "It's all because you attracted so much of their defense that I could get a one-on-one opportunity."
Julien patted his back, and said while laughing, "Let's get a few more and end this year on a perfect note."
When play continued, Mane was indeed more active, and his activity on the left made Nancy's defense even more uncomfortable, because both of Bastia's flanks were absolute explosive points.
And both fullbacks were overlapping very actively.
Even as Fernandez kept gesturing for everyone to fall back defensively, they still made mistakes.
Tweet!
The referee pointed to the penalty spot.
When Julien cut into the box from the right, Salif brought him down with a tackle.
Bastia penalty!
Crash!
In the Cesari stands, the fans' faces lit up with delight, they hadn't expected this year-ending match to be so perfect!
They had a chance to be 4-0 up at halftime.
When everyone thought Julien would take this penalty,
Julien instead picked up the ball and handed it to Rothen. "Go ahead."
Rothen looked up to meet Julien's eyes and understood his meaning.
He couldn't help but smile. "You..."
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