At this moment, in Bastia's fan section, Modoso led the die-hard supporters in wild cheering.
Three consecutive shouts of "VIVA BASTIA," followed by igniting cold flares in the stands.
Whoosh!
The blue flames instantly captured everyone's attention.
The wildness of French fans once again surprised Americans—how did they get those things in?
In the locker room, Hadzibegic didn't say much. His cold gaze swept over each player. "I think everything I needed to say was covered during match preparation. Go out there and take our first victory of the new season! Return to Bastia in triumph!"
Most players looked determined.
Bastia had retained about half their squad from last season—these were players who had experienced last season's glorious moments.
They were filled with confidence.
The new players also wanted to prove themselves in such a match.
Especially De Bruyne.
Julien often observed De Bruyne and noticed he rarely smiled.
Courtois really did a number on him. The current KDB was not only introverted but had a wounded soul.
But Julien wasn't worried this would affect De Bruyne's performance. Even if he hadn't come to Bastia, De Bruyne would have dominated at Bremen just the same.
Lukaku was much more optimistic. He often chatted with Julien, and his words conveyed one thing: confidence!
"Just give me the ball and I'll deliver. Give it with some lead time, and one sprint puts me through on goal. Really, trust me. Have you seen my videos at Anderlecht? No defender can stop me. Bigger guys aren't faster than me, faster guys aren't bigger than me."
Hadzibegic finally gathered all the players to stand in the center of the locker room, extending his hand as everyone shouted together—
"FORZA, Bastia!"
"FORZA, Bastia!!"
When the die-hard Bastia fans saw the players emerge, they went wild again.
The blue flares from the entrance had died down, but blue smoke still shrouded their section, making it even more distinctly Bastia!
Julien led the way as captain.
For the first time, Bastia's number 10 jersey bore the name "De Rocca."
"Julien!"
Modoso led the Bastia fans in wild chants, their less-than-thousand voices drowning out all other noise in the stadium.
American fans watching Bastia's passion couldn't help but get caught up in it.
Julien and Montpellier captain Hilton conducted the coin toss ceremony.
Julien won and chose possession. The teams then exchanged pennants.
In the stands, Danny Burton from Nike's European football division and senior Nike scout Edwards Hoyt were watching Julien intently.
Burton observed the Bastia fans' passion with a smile. "Looks like signing De Rocca would be a very profitable deal. He has tremendous popularity in France."
Hoyt nodded. "The technical department has studied De Rocca. His style is perfect for endorsements—elegant, fluid, very watchable. He'll quickly expand beyond just French influence. Our unanimous recommendation is to sign him as soon as possible."
Burton nodded. "That's also the head office's requirement. The only concern is his injury problems, he already has three recorded adductor injuries."
He sighed. "We are just worried he might be made of glass."
Burton had good reason to sigh. If this were any other young player, Nike wouldn't need to pay much to sign them. But the timing to sign Julien had already passed.
Previously, Julien had signed with Adidas, but as his performances at Chelsea worsened, when the contract expired, Adidas didn't renew.
Until now, Julien had no endorsement deals.
Last season he emerged from nowhere. And at the European Championship, he shone brightly before suffering a serious injury.
But unexpectedly, just one month later, he was back full of life.
So, Nike had to act. They had to take a gamble!
Even if signing the current Julien would cost Nike significantly, they couldn't afford to miss out. Because if Nike didn't sign him, another company would.
With Julien's playing style, if he really developed, it would be a blow to Nike.
Beep!
The referee's whistle drew Burton and Hoyt's attention completely to the field.
The 2012 French Super Cup final officially began!
On the sideline, both Girard and Hadzibegic looked cautious, neither having complete confidence in victory.
Meanwhile, in France, the match was being broadcast, with commentary saying, "Bastia's lineup has changed significantly from last season, with more young players. It seems Bastia wants to go with a youth storm approach. They've loaned De Bruyne and Lukaku from Chelsea—both players who couldn't get playing time at Chelsea.
This way, adding Julien who was discarded by Chelsea, Bastia's front line consists of the 'Chelsea Rejects Alliance' attack group. Let's see how their chemistry works... Mon Dieu! This big guy is so fast?!"
Whoosh!
At Red Bull Arena, just after kickoff, fans exclaimed as De Bruyne suddenly unleashed a long pass.
Bastia kicked off.
Without giving Montpellier any time to adjust, Lukaku passed the ball, De Bruyne controlled it briefly, then directly launched a long pass.
Lukaku's favorite type of attack: fetch the frisbee!
Montpellier's defensive players hadn't reacted yet when they saw Lukaku charging and immediately gave chase.
Saïhi and Estrada were left behind by Lukaku's Belgian bulldozer run.
"That impact force is incredible! Bastia found themselves a beast for center forward!"
Before the commentator finished speaking, Lukaku had already reached the front third, where two center-backs Yanga-Mbiwa and Hilton quickly converged to prevent Lukaku from getting through.
If he broke through, it would be a one-on-one!
Lukaku suddenly stopped.
All four players were momentarily wrong-footed by his sudden stop. After stopping, Lukaku spotted an opening and shaped to shoot.
Hilton immediately slid in to block.
However—
Bang!
Lukaku played a cross, having already spotted Julien making a rapid run.
Whoosh!
This opening attack sent adrenaline surging through every player in the stadium.
Bastia fans instantly felt their blood rush. "Julien!"
"De Rocca has the ball! There's no defender in front of him!"
The commentator shouted!
Goalkeeper Jourdren quickly rushed to the near post, preparing to block Julien's shot.
Julien received the pass with so much space that he had time to adjust his touch, then curled a left-footed shot toward the far corner!
Bang!
The ball curved toward the far post!!
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