Hadzibegic paid no attention to Simeone. Instead, he kept waving at the Bastia players, signaling them to defend.
From before the match, he had emphasized that defense was the top priority.
Julien noticed Simeone's gesture.
Simeone's arrogance perfectly matched his consistent image in the media.
Many fans had already started calling him the "Bandit Coach."
This style whether other teams' players, fans, or coaches probably wouldn't be well-liked.
However, Julien understood Atlético Madrid.
He knew that for Atletico fans, Simeone's style was a perfect match for them.
In competitive sports, following the strong is mainstream.
The so-called glory hunters.
But for the die-hards, Atlético Madrid held an incomparable attraction.
Before Simeone's tenure and before coach Aguirre, Atlético had been in decline for ten years.
They hadn't beaten their city rivals Real Madrid in thirteen years.
They had even been relegated to Segunda División.
They had been absent from European competitions for twelve years.
Yet Atlético fans remained loyal, constantly buying season tickets even in the second division.
Some voices claimed that Real Madrid represented the wealthy, while Atlético represented the working class.
This was just a stereotypical statement.
In reality, today Real Madrid represents global fans, while Atlético still represents Madrid.
The most core and unique aspect of Atlético's soul: sentimiento de rebeldía—"the feeling of rebellion."
This was their most attractive quality.
Atlético's rebellious character stemmed from its historical trajectory.
Originally starting as a branch of Athletic Bilbao, Atlético gained special status during the Spanish Civil War when Franco's regime merged it with the Air Force.
Military-political support enabled its rapid rise, making it a symbol of national military power.
But after the political landscape shifted in the 1950s, Franco, to break Spain's isolation in Europe, shifted his political chips to Real Madrid, who had won five consecutive European Cups, publicly declaring them "the nation's most precious asset."
Courting Real Madrid.
This transformation made Atlético a "castaway" in the power structure, injecting new political meaning into the Madrid Derby.
The experience of long-term marginalization shaped Atlético's tough, rebellious team character, gradually forming a grassroots identity completely opposite to the institutionalized Real Madrid, establishing an anti-authoritarian spiritual core through continuous confrontation.
The Atlético players didn't celebrate much, after all, they were still behind. But at least this goal restored much of their confidence.
The fans at the Calderón Stadium, especially the die-hard stands—the "Frente Atlético," Atlético's most devoted fan association.
After this goal, they began singing the most famous Atlético Fan anthem, "Even After Many Years":
"Through the years, through every fight,
Frente Atlético burns bright,
This whole city wears your name with pride,
Red and white forever side by side.
Whatever storms may come our way,
Together strong, together we'll stay,
Our hearts beat as one, this bond won't break,
Atleti, for you, everything we'd forsake.
Te quiero, Atleti, until my final breath,
Through victory and struggle, life and death,
From Manzanares to the Metropolitano roar,
We are Atleti; now and evermore!"
Beep!
The whistle blew, and the match continued.
Lukaku kicked off, De Bruyne organized with the ball, and Julien quickly moved up the wing, signaling for a pass.
However, De Bruyne was quickly pressured by Raúl García with no space to pass, and immediately played it back.
Atlético pressed forward as a unit.
Even Koke was constantly running and pressing. Watching Koke and recalling his goal, Julien couldn't help but wonder whether Simeone was a first-rate or second-rate coach.
When Koke broke through, he was a talented player.
He had incredible technique was full of feints, bursting with flair yet under Simeone, such a player had become a midfield workhorse.
And in the original history, when Atlético bought Félix, Simeone never figured out how to use him properly.
There were many such examples.
Any technical player who came to Atlético would become a "Tough Iron Warrior."
So, was Simeone a first-rate coach? He couldn't develop players, only transform them into his own image.
But could you call him second-rate? He was genuinely Atlético's godfather, leading them to every major trophy except the Champions League.
Julien quickly put all these questions aside. Because the ball was coming!
As Atlético pressed forward, Rothen pulled wide, found an opening, and sent a long pass in Julien's direction.
Julien quickly turned his back to shield Filipe.
As the ball dropped. When Julien stopped it with his foot, he flicked it backward, then took half a step forward, escaping Filipe's defense before turning and racing past him along the touchline.
Whoosh!
This scene made Atlético fans' hearts skip a beat—every time they saw Julien with the ball, they panicked.
They had no choice, the threat was too great.
The TF1 commentator noted, "Bastia being able to score two goals isn't just luck. With a player like De Rocca in the attack, Atlético's defense is under constant pressure. To some extent, while De Rocca doesn't participate in defense, his offensive threat reduces Atlético's attacking intensity, which indirectly helps Bastia's defense."
On the sideline.
Filipe was stunned for half a beat after Julien shook him off, then buried his head and gave chase.
Fortunately, defensive midfielder Gabi tracked back in time, blocking Julien's path and preventing him from cutting inside.
Julien could only push forward a few steps first.
When he saw Lukaku making his run, he immediately stopped, adjusting the ball to his left foot.
Boom!
A diagonal long pass.
The ball flew into Lukaku's zone, but Miranda held him tightly.
As the ball dropped.
Miranda was still clutching and pulling him, so Lukaku just went down. But when he looked at the referee, there was no response.
Miranda intercepted the ball and passed it to right-back Juanfran, who pushed forward.
Lukaku wasn't having it.
"Hey! That's a foul!" he shouted at the referee, sitting on the ground with arms spread wide.
But the referee shook his head, waved him off, telling him to get up quickly, then stopped watching Lukaku and turned to follow Atlético's attack.
Lukaku was speechless, muttering to himself, "Come on, that's not a foul?"
After getting up, he gave his signature thumbs-up to the retreating Julien, his first thumbs-up of the day.
Lukaku and Julien leisurely tracked back.
Meanwhile, the other Bastia players had already dropped deep the moment they lost possession.
Today they were determined to park the bus at the Calderón Stadium.
This was actually a tactic Atlético often used themselves.
Atlético fans found it very familiar.
At this moment, they experienced what fans of other teams felt when playing against Atlético.
This was way too defensive!
In just five minutes, after crosses were fruitless, Atlético immediately shifted to long-range shots.
Koke, Raúl García, even Godín, all took their shots.
Shot statistics soared. But the score remained 1-2.
On the sideline, Simeone looked somewhat agitated, his movements and expressions were quite energetic.
In contrast, Hadzibegic remained relatively calm during the match.
Even though Bastia was pinned back and sometimes couldn't even get the ball out when they won possession.
Both sides were locked in a stalemate.
"Who do you think will score next?" Deschamps couldn't help asking Zidane.
The latter shook his head. "Not sure. My feeling is either side could score the next goal."
Deschamps laughed and said. "Indeed, that's my feeling too."
Whether Bastia or Atlético, both had their advantages.
Atlético had momentum. But Bastia had the ability to deliver a lethal blow.
Zidane watched the passionate Simeone on the sideline and smiled slightly. In his view, Simeone was a very genuine person. But this match was truly hard to call.
At this moment, Zidane had no idea what would happen between him and Simeone in the future.
From 1970 to 1975 was crucial for the football world.
In those magical five years, a generation of midfield maestros who would influence football for decades were born in clusters, including Simeone in 1970 and Zidane in 1972.
Both from the '70s generation, Zidane completely overshadowed Simeone as a player.
While Zidane conquered the world with his elegant style, Simeone's label was always just a tenacious enforcer.
Under the brilliance of Zidane's Champions League final volley, who could remember what Simeone was doing in those years?
Perhaps just tackling, tackling, and more tackling, forever the background.
Simeone's only moment attracting worldwide attention was perhaps that incident with Beckham.
Now, Simeone was far ahead of Zidane on the coaching path.
Zidane's gaze shifted to Julien. In his heart, he firmly believed that Julien was the one who could change the match. But at this moment, Julien seemed somewhat invisible.
Because Bastia didn't have possession.
Novaes was run ragged. In front of goal, back and forth, he had already made three or four decent saves.
Novaes, united with the defensive line, kept rejecting Atlético's attacks time and again!
Clink!
At the Sunset Café Bar, everyone's hearts were in their throats. Watching Atlético's tidal wave of attacks, they could only keep clinking glasses, using the taste of alcohol to relax.
Martin watched the TV screen anxiously. "Isn't Atlético supposed to be best at defense? How is their attack so fierce? It looks terrifying!"
Someone explained, "Because we're not controlling possession, we've given up the ball. Actually, looking at it, apart from our midfield and attack being a bit young and our backline a bit old, we don't have much disadvantage against Atlético. Hadzibegic should let the players attack. Maybe in an open game, we'd have more chances?"
Such comments drew both rebuttals and agreements.
But regardless. They knew their discussions here couldn't affect the pitch. They were just using this method to vent their nervous emotions.
Even after scoring two goals. The Bastia fans remained tense. They'd been away from European competition too long. And this time they were facing a 'giant' like Atlético.
Time ticked by.
The fans didn't know how much they'd drunk, only felt their bladders getting full, but with just five or six minutes left in the first half, they didn't want to leave.
What score they entered the dressing room with would greatly affect player morale.
It would also significantly impact how tactics were adjusted for the second half!
They wanted to see it through.
"Julien!"
In the 41st minute, another exclamation rang out in the bar.
Followed by disappointment.
On TV, Julien lay on the ground, his expression was quite helpless.
Julien pushed himself up. In Bastia's few counterattacks, whether Mané or Julien, both made Atlético's defense very uncomfortable.
But apart from the two earlier goals. Lukaku had completely lost his touch today.
Without his form from bullying weaker teams, he was either missing chances or missing chances.
On Julien's end, he was heavily marked by Atlético, but seeing Lukaku out of sorts, he could only do it himself.
Filipe Luis had been thoroughly schooled tonight.
Julien beat Filipe in every way.
But Atlético's recovery speed was indeed fast enough, not giving him good shooting space.
Just now, this forced shot failed to keep the ball down and randomly hit some fan.
Goal kick.
Courtois quickly kicked the ball out.
Mario Suárez brought it forward as Lukaku moved up for a token press.
Suárez immediately played a through ball to the feet of the dropping Adrián López.
Adrián dropped to receive. But he didn't notice a small dark figure emerging from his blind side.
"Watch out!!"
Suárez, facing him, saw clearly and shouted.
By the time Adrián reacted, it was too late!
Kanté rushed in and poked the ball away. Then chased it.
Seeing his teammate win the ball, Lukaku quickly ran into the space in the center, pointing ahead, signaling for the pass.
Kanté didn't hesitate.
Boom!
He passed it forward.
Lukaku immediately got into the zone, his mind was full of thoughts of breaking through Atlético's defense!
This half had been so frustrating for him. He had to show them what the Belgian Drogba was made of.
He pushed the ball forward.
He pushed it too far.
He... froze.
Gabi seized the opportunity with a sliding tackle, blocking the ball, which bounced back.
Lukaku quickly stopped, turned, and prepared to charge toward the ball. But another blue figure was faster!
Julien!
Behind him, Filipe kept following, but was always half a step behind.
Filipe tried to grab with his hands but couldn't reach.
Julien touched the ball forward once.
The fallen Gabi saw Julien rushing up and quickly got up to block his path.
Lukaku pulled forward, creating space.
But Miranda was marking him alone.
Godín also moved toward Julien, ready to cover.
Julien didn't pause at all, maintaining his high-speed dribbling. Facing Gabi, he suddenly dropped his shoulder dramatically, his whole body seemingly leaning to his left.
Gabi instinctively thought Julien, seeing Godín covering from the right, would pull wide left.
He extended a foot to the left, the moment Julien moved forward, he could instantly shift to follow.
But Julien, while moving forward, poked the ball through his legs with his right foot.
His body instantly changed direction, bursting past him on the right.
Godín, positioned behind Gabi's right, saw everything clearly and immediately moved forward.
But just when he thought he could intercept the ball.
Julien accelerated again!
'What?'
Both Godín and the turning Gabi were shocked.
He could accelerate more?!
Julien got to the ball before Godín, pushed it forward, and without slowing down, passed Godín.
Boom!
Before Courtois could even react, a near-post rocket!
Courtois dived to save.
But he was a beat slow and completely missed it!
Swish!
The ball hit the back of the net.
1-3!
Julien with a brace!
Whoosh!
Ignoring the gasps from the crowd, Julien turned and ran to the sideline, holding up three fingers to the camera.
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