Bastia's treble was no accident—they'd not only retained last season's core players but had also made excellent signings.
Last season's core: De Rocca, Rothen, plus defenders Joplin and Angula.
Combined with the current De Bruyne, Lukaku, Kanté, and Sidibé, Bastia had assembled a sufficiently strong squad.
Unlike Furnier, who saw Bastia as Reims's relegation rival, Zidane looked at Julien on television and thought: are they aiming for the Ligue 1? Getting past PSG won't be easy though.
In his view, although PSG had started poorly, that was merely a matter of chemistry—their players were all world-class.
For Bastia to defeat PSG, they'd need improvements in several positions: left midfielder, right-back, both center-backs, and goalkeeper.
But Zidane had also heard news about Bastia's owner mortgaging the entire club.
What Bastia had achieved so far was already their limit.
Time continued to tick away on the pitch.
Zidane always looked forward to De Rocca getting on the ball. Every time Julien touched it, Zidane smiled with satisfaction.
Watching him play was simply a class above everyone else, and De Rocca had gained composure and calm from his European Championship experience.
He was only 17 years old.
Zidane marveled—talent was simply talent.
"Kevin, use that counter-attacking approach."
At the Cesari Stadium:
Bastia won a free kick in the attacking third. De Rocca, De Bruyne, and Rothen all gathered around the ball, covering their mouths as they discussed.
Rothen suggested the counter-attacking routine.
But Julien said, "Kevin, why don't you take a shot? This position is within your range."
They'd witnessed De Bruyne's long-range shooting in training.
De Bruyne had actually considered shooting directly. But he quickly suppressed that thought.
Now that De Rocca had brought it up, his heart raced with excitement.
He looked at Julien with slight surprise. "I'm not entirely confident."
Julien gave him an encouraging look. "Who dares claim absolute certainty with free kicks? I believe in you. Treat it like training—come on, shoot!"
De Bruyne wasn't one to hesitate. He simply nodded.
After making the decision, Julien immediately moved to a position just outside the penalty area, ready to pounce if De Bruyne's shot was blocked by the wall or saved by the keeper.
Rothen stood with De Bruyne in front of the ball.
Whistle!
The referee's whistle sounded, indicating they could take the kick.
Both players gestured toward their teammates in the box.
Rothen positioned himself farther back with a longer run-up, while De Bruyne stood just three steps from the ball.
De Bruyne started his approach first.
Agassa and Reims's wall thought Rothen might take a shot, so when De Bruyne began his run, they didn't react immediately.
When he struck the ball powerfully, their reaction came too late.
The wall's jump didn't reach maximum height. The ball had already cleared the wall!
It flew directly toward the near post. Agassa saw the danger and immediately shifted, launching himself in a desperate dive.
However, the ball bounced once off the ground.
Whoosh!
The ball flew over him into the net.
Goal!
34th minute—De Bruyne's direct free kick!
Bastia 2-0 Reims.
"Kevin!"
When De Bruyne scored, De Rocca immediately roared his name and charged toward him.
De Bruyne grabbed Julien, and they ran together toward the corner flag. At that moment, the Bastia stands erupted once again.
In front of the stands, De Bruyne didn't have any elaborate celebration.
He simply raised his fist toward the supporters.
His usually stern face finally broke into a spring-like smile.
The fans in the stands loudly chanted his name—
"Kevin!!"
Bastia fans had questioned De Bruyne, wondering if he could shoulder the responsibility of Bastia's midfield.
But after just one match—the French Super Cup—Bastia supporters accepted him.
They felt he would become De Rocca's capable assistant, leading Bastia toward success once again.
After celebrating, De Bruyne turned and embraced Julien tightly.
"Julien, you were right. I scored."
De Bruyne's voice trembled slightly with emotion, though there was pride in his words.
As if saying: come on, praise me!
Julien laughed heartily. "Of course! You already proved your technique in training."
Lukaku came over and lifted De Bruyne up, laughing. "That shot was absolutely brilliant. I can temporarily give you my title as Belgium's most handsome player for this one match."
Julien patted Lukaku. "Get ready for the next chance."
"Just get the ball to me, and I'll definitely score!"
Julien remained noncommittal.
As long as Lukaku played striker, Bastia basically avoided crossing from the wings.
It couldn't be helped—Lukaku couldn't win headers.
Lukaku's inability to win aerial duels fundamentally came down to poor judgment of the ball's trajectory.
This ability was difficult to train and could be considered innate striker's instinct—after all, not every big man could become Drogba.
Facing high balls, Lukaku's positioning in the box was particularly poor.
Despite his excellent physique, his balance was mediocre. Even when he did reach the right spot, it severely affected his heading accuracy.
As a top striker himself, De Rocca had noticed another bad habit of Lukaku's—he loved lurking at the back post. He always seemed to skillfully miss the first contact.
Often, he'd position himself for the initial delivery, then wait for scraps to poke home. Again, there was that saying: Lukaku had a striker's body but a winger's mentality.
Whistle!
With the referee's signal, play resumed.
Leading by two goals, Bastia felt no urgency. They didn't press high up the pitch, instead waiting for Reims to attack.
Hadzibegic shouted from the touchline for his players to drop back, but he didn't want De Rocca to retreat.
He worried about Julien having to make long sprints to collect the ball later.
Since Bastia's right flank was near the technical area, Hadzibegic called De Rocca over during a break in play. "Whatever you do, don't make long sprints! Absolutely don't—do you hear me? Health first!"
Julien nodded.
Hadzibegic then gestured to Lukaku, De Bruyne, and the others.
Defensive counter-attack.
For the new season, Hadzibegic was under immense pressure. As a promoted side, defense would be Bastia's main theme this season.
Today's early aggressive play was only because Reims was a familiar Ligue 2 opponent, giving Bastia a psychological advantage.
With their goal cushion established, it was time to adapt to defensive counter-attacking.
Mainly because in the sixth round, Bastia would host Paris Saint-Germain.
This summer, PSG's spending spree of 100 million euros was truly shocking.
In Ligue 1, PSG was worth more than all other teams combined.
This would be a tough battle.
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