Whistle!
Suddenly, the referee blew his whistle and showed a yellow card.
Reims's attack broke down when Kanté poked the ball away and Rothen passed it wide to De Rocca.
Julien let the ball run, turned, and was kicked in the shin by Rigonato.
He went down clutching his leg, grimacing in pain.
"Hey! You're committing a crime, you bastard!"
"Angula, break this guy's legs!"
The abuse from the fans in the nearby stand was clearly audible to the players.
Rigonato shrugged and told the referee it wasn't intentional, then bent down to pat Julien. "Sorry, bro. I didn't mean it."
De Bruyne pushed Rigonato away.
Bending down, he asked De Rocca, "How is it? Do you need the physio?"
"I'm fine, just a knock. It'll be okay in a moment."
Julien actually knew that Rigonato's challenge was completely intentional!
Get the ball or get the man!
In the future, he'd face much more of this type of defending.
Durability was also a talent.
The free kick was taken and cleared out for a throw-in by a Reims player.
In the final minutes of the first half, Reims maintained their attacking momentum, not retreating even when Bastia took their throw-in.
Théoni threw the ball to De Bruyne.
Without stopping, De Bruyne knocked it to Rothen. Reims players swarmed toward nearby opponents.
Rothen received the ball, took a step across, suddenly cut inside and slipped it through to De Rocca on the right.
De Rocca collected the ball.
Reims's entire right flank tensed up.
Even Takalfred dropped back to defend.
"Romelu!!"
But De Rocca didn't dribble as the Reims players expected. Instead, he roared out a name.
Thump!
The ball flew toward the space behind Reims's central defense.
"Here it comes!"
Seeing De Rocca's through ball, Lukaku's eyes sparkled with excitement.
He pushed off powerfully and sprinted forward.
This was exactly the type of ball he loved most—just run like hell.
"Romelu! His pace is absolutely explosive—it's hard to imagine this speed from such a big player!"
The commentator's words weren't finished when he exclaimed, "One-on-one! Romelu's through on goal!"
Lukaku's speed was undeniable—a lower-league destroyer. Defending him, Takalfred couldn't match Lukaku's pace once separation was created.
Weber on the other side couldn't even get back in time.
Both could only watch helplessly as Lukaku broke clear.
Crash!
The Cesari Stadium fans' eyes widened instantly, all expecting the next moment's goal.
Thump!
Agassa came out.
Lukaku unleashed a low drive!
Agassa made an incredible save, getting his foot to block Lukaku's shot path. The ball flew to the other side.
Lukaku held his head in his hands, looking completely bewildered.
Crash!
The fans groaned in disappointment.
Then their eyes immediately focused on their number 10.
Julien had a good habit—no matter what kind of chance his teammates had, he always assumed they'd miss and was ready for the rebound.
Rather than just standing and watching.
None of the Reims players expected Julien's forward run to be so quick. Seeing the one-on-one, they were already preparing for the restart.
Only Krehoviák remained alert. He'd been tracking De Rocca throughout.
But he was a step too slow. After De Rocca controlled the ball with his chest and unleashed a left-footed volley, Krehoviák finally arrived.
Agassa desperately scrambled up from the ground for a second save, but De Rocca's left-footed strike was too quick.
Whoosh!
Goal!
BOOM!
The Cesari Stadium exploded like cold water hitting hot oil—absolutely thunderous.
3-0 at halftime!
Bastia had gone mad!
De Rocca had gone mad!
Julien spun toward the corner flag, cupping his hand to his ear as if listening to the fans' roars.
"De Rocca!"
The Bastia supporters screamed even louder.
De Bruyne was closest to De Rocca. When Julien made his forward run, Kevin had done the same. Both had similar thinking.
As a midfielder, De Bruyne had an attacking heart.
"Julien, brilliant finish!"
De Bruyne wanted to high-five De Rocca, but Julien pulled him into a solid embrace instead.
Other teammates also came forward to celebrate. Rothen continuously raised both arms toward the fans, shouting, "FORZA, Bastia!!"
The supporters were already in a frenzy.
With Rothen leading the atmosphere, they became even more passionate.
Modoso, shirtless, stood on his seat, waving a Moorish flag representing Bastia.
Roaring while waving.
The entire Cesari Stadium was filled with surging crowds.
The blue home section resembled ocean waves.
The Reims players hung their heads as they walked toward the center circle. Conceding another goal just before halftime was a massive blow to team morale.
Reims had already undergone significant squad changes for the new season, with players still unfamiliar with each other and lacking chemistry.
Facing this situation, they were falling apart completely.
"Brace! This is De Rocca's report card from his first ever Ligue 1 match—just one half! He gives us a concrete understanding of the word 'genius.'"
The TF1 commentator's words were full of praise for De Rocca.
But Bastia fans watching the broadcast thought he was still being too modest—
"Genius?! No, the word 'genius' has never been sufficient to describe De Rocca. He is our Bastia's football GOAT! The French empire star!"
"This season, the league title is obviously out of reach, but looking at this performance, we can definitely fight for Champions League qualification! Bastia's first-ever Champions League appearance—is it really coming?"
Champions League—such foreign words.
At this moment, Chataigner wasn't considering this question at all. Seeing the 3-0 lead after the celebrations, his first instinct was to message the team's assistant coach: "Tell Faruk at halftime—De Rocca needs to rest!"
After sending the message, Chataigner was still savoring the first half, a smile spreading across his face.
Ligue 1!
Bastia was back!
Whistle!!
The first half ended with the referee's whistle.
Bastia players wore smiles, chatting and laughing as they left the field.
The Reims players walked silently into the dressing room.
"Send London the profile on that young Bastia defensive midfielder later. I think this little guy has value that Chelsea should monitor and develop."
Elion felt that Bastia matches were worth watching more often—this team exceeded his expectations.
"N'Golo Kanté?" Emenalo questioned. "Is he really good enough? He looks a bit short."
Elion replied, "He's still young, but I think he has great potential. Large coverage area, stamina, willingness to run—that's enough. Other things like interceptions and tackles can improve with proper training and more match experience."
After a pause, Elion continued, "As for height, this kid is probably 5'7", but Makélélé and Essien weren't much taller than him. I have a feeling Kanté could rival Makélélé and Essien in the future."
Emenalo remained noncommittal. "Maybe."
During halftime at the Cesari Stadium, there was a brief calm.
The fans' excitement and joy were unmistakable.
Many were still discussing the first half, exploring Bastia's possibilities for the new season.
Champions League qualification.
These were the words most fans mentioned.
"This season, as long as we get out of the Europa League group stage, if we can really finish in the top three in Ligue 1 for Champions League qualification, that would be success!"
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