Two TIFOs occupied half of the north stand, followed by drums that grew louder and more intense.
Boom, boom boom boom!!
The shirtless drummer's sweat steamed white mist in the cold night air.
Just like the blood of the die-hard Bastia fans behind him—boiling endlessly!
When the drumbeat suddenly reached its crescendo and abruptly stopped!
Then, the third TIFO was unveiled—
This was a pure blue TIFO with white letters forming the word "Maintenant" in the center.
It meant "now."
As the third TIFO dropped, the UB fans in the north stand began singing in unison—
In Corsican:
"Sott'à e stelle di Furiani,
U Stadiu Cesari chjama u to nome:
Julien, Julien, figliolu di e muntagne,
A Coppa aspetta di scrive u to nome."
English:
"Beneath the stars of Furiani,
Cesari Stadium echoes your name:
Julien, Julien, child of the mountains,
The Cup awaits to carve your name in glory."
The fans didn't scream themselves hoarse, but delivered the song with heartfelt emotion.
All the fans at the stadium were moved by this melody. They were familiar with this tune—it was "Ce train qui s'en va."
After the previous interview with Bastia Evening News was reported, the fans learned that Julien loved this classic song by Hélène, so they chose to create a new song for him using this melody.
When Julien heard this song, his heart was deeply moved.
As he walked toward the center circle.
He waved his hands, responding to fans from all directions, his heart filled with even greater desire for this match.
He wanted to personally bring a championship to Bastia!
On the sideline.
Hadzibegic also knew about the fans' preparation and smiled with satisfaction. What could be greater for a player than winning the hearts of the fans?
A championship?
In Hadzibegic's eyes, this was important, but the sincere hearts of the fans were equally important.
Julien had clearly succeeded.
This once lost child was now walking the path to stardom.
Corsica would become his starting point, watching from the Mediterranean as he galloped across the European continent.
The sea breeze swept across the beach, leaving behind legendary stories of Julien's journey that began at Bastia.
"This is Julien De Rocca—he has won the hearts of Bastia fans. Now he is an absolute legend of Bastia! The legendary journey of a 17-year-old rising star has begun."
The Ligue 2 commentator spoke with some emotion, continuing, "We can hardly imagine what kind of sensation it will cause when De Rocca leaves Bastia. Perhaps the Bastia fans are already imagining his departure—this small island cannot contain a genius superstar.
Bastia is destined to be only the beginning of Julien's stellar career.
The championship trophy will be the most beautiful memory Julien leaves for Bastia."
When the players stood in the center circle.
The referee checked the time, waiting to blow the whistle.
The "Ce train qui s'en va" version of "Julien's Song" had ended.
Boom! Boom boom!!
The drums sounded again, and the fourth TIFO was unveiled.
After this one dropped, the entire north stand was completely covered.
The fourth was a pure white background with a line of blue numbers—2012-4-29.
This was the date of the French Cup final.
Clap clap clap!
The other Bastia fans in the stadium applauded when they saw this scene.
They were also looking forward to this day.
At this point, all four TIFOs were displayed.
Bastia's first Ligue 2 championship, 1968.
First UEFA Cup Final, 1978.
Now. And the date of the French Cup final.
44 years. 33 years. After such a long wait, they welcomed the possibility of a double crown this season.
Whistle!!
Soon time was up, and the referee immediately blew the whistle to start the match.
At the same time.
The drums stopped, and the north stand erupted in a frenzied roar from the fans!
Whoosh!
Other fans gasped in amazement.
The four TIFOs were consumed by flames.
Revealing four brand new TIFOs underneath—a painting, but divided into four parts.
Put together, only a jersey design remained.
"De Rocca 29"
Below was a sentence, a promise Julien had once made to the Bastia fans—"I will bring back a championship trophy for you!"
This scene captured the attention of so many fans.
Including those watching the broadcast, who were stunned by such an opening.
Julien's influence at Bastia was truly enormous.
The Châteauroux players, after kickoff, seemed nervous amid the intense roaring of the home Bastia crowd.
Soon after kickoff, they made an error and lost possession.
The Bastia players remained very calm—they weren't seeing such scenes for the first time.
While Châteauroux hadn't yet adapted to the rhythm, they quickly launched an attack.
Rothen got the ball and immediately looked for Julien.
He hadn't forgotten Hadzibegic's tactical instruction: "Give the ball to Julien when you have a chance, and give it to him even when you don't!"
In short, give the ball to Julien.
The moment Julien touched the ball, the stadium erupted in cheers, with all eyes focused on him.
They held their breath, waiting to watch the genius perform.
Julien didn't disappoint them.
Although Châteauroux had prepared three players to defend Julien on the right flank, they weren't mentally prepared at this moment.
When Julien received the ball, the encirclement between the three players was loose—they hadn't completely closed in.
Julien didn't hesitate for a moment. He immediately accelerated.
Charging toward the first defender, Granger, he went straight down the outside.
When many analysts thought his speed was lacking, this time, with full energy, he chose to go berserk!
His 71-speed attribute received a 30% boost.
Explosive pace!
True explosive pace!
Without any technique, he just knocked the ball forward and raced down the outside.
Granger hadn't expected Julien to compete with him on speed—he was thinking about Julien's dribbling ability.
The players prepared to provide cover behind him hadn't expected it either.
Châteauroux coach Boucher's defensive strategy was to defend against Julien's cuts inside and allow the outside—this time they really allowed the outside.
But they allowed way too much space!
Julien was too fast!
Whoosh!
The crowd gasped in amazement—this was the first time they'd seen Julien like this.
In Madrid, someone from the Mediterranean laughed, "That's right, this is you."
In London, that tall, refined old man looked at the screen for a long time without speaking.
In even more distant places, many people were seeing Julien's speed for the first time.
"My God! Julien!!"
The Ligue 2 commentator barely had time to say more.
Julien beat three players down the outside, cut inside the penalty area, and facing goalkeeper Vincent's charge, he dropped his left shoulder at high speed, feinting a shot with his left foot.
Vincent instinctively dove out.
Julien pulled back.
His right foot led the ball forward again, beating Vincent.
His left foot smoothly pushed into the empty net.
BOOM!!
Cesari Stadium shook!
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