Beep!
The match continued.
With less than five minutes left in regular time, Viktoria Plzen kicked off and quickly launched an attack down the flanks.
Playing at home and facing such a result, they naturally found it hard to accept.
Even with deteriorating fitness, they still mustered their strength for one final push, fighting for a draw.
After Bastia's goal, they didn't dare to slack off, maintaining their low defensive block.
Lukaku and Julien also dropped back to help with the defense.
Bang!
Facing Bastia's defensive wall, Horvat unleashed a long-range shot from outside the penalty area.
But at 37 years old, he wasn't 27 anymore.
The shot lacked power, feeling somewhat weak, and Novaes easily caught the ball with a comfortable save.
Novaes fell to the ground.
Seeing this scene, the fans at Doosan Arena couldn't help but shake their heads. The scoreboard had become more captivating than the football itself.
Viktoria Plzen supporters kept checking how much time remained.
They needed one more goal.
Just one goal!
The Plzen players understood this perfectly. After Novaes's goal kick, they immediately pressed forward.
Julien glanced at Viktoria Plzen's defensive line.
It was pushed very high.
He made a run toward the halfway line, while De Bruyne continuously observed the field situation.
An excellent midfielder's head should work like a fan, constantly turning back and forth.
You could see this in how Xavi and Pirlo played, whether they had the ball or not, they were always observing.
So, when Kanté passed the ball to De Bruyne's feet, he immediately played a long ball!
The football flew toward Julien's advancing path.
Julien had already started his run.
Although he was ahead of all Viktoria Plzen's defenders, he hadn't crossed the halfway line.
This passing and running combination absolutely stunned the TF1 commentator.
"Oh! My God! The passing combination between De Rocca and De Bruyne is simply perfect! De Rocca has the ball, there's space ahead, Lukaku is making his run in the center, and Plzen's defensive players clearly can't keep up."
Doosan Arena fell silent.
All eyes were focused silently on Julien De Rocca.
At the Sunset Café Bar, only the television commentary could be heard. Everyone held their drinks motionless, staring at the screen, their eyes following the camera, following Julien.
They were afraid to miss even the slightest detail.
Kožáčik didn't know what to do. De Rocca was advancing with the ball, but Lukaku was also unmarked!
He stood in front of the goal like a convicted man facing execution.
He was helpless.
He could only stand waiting for the outcome.
Everyone on Bastia's bench stood at the sideline, their hands already raised to their chests, ready to celebrate.
Fists were clenched in nervous anticipation.
Whoosh!
Julien sprinted forward, his strength was rapidly declining. As he approached the penalty area, he glanced at Lukaku's position.
Seeing Lukaku unmarked, Kožáčik focused mainly on defending against Julien's cross. After all, in such a two-on-one situation, he had little time to decide and could only gamble on one option.
Bang!
In that instant, Julien struck with his left foot on the run, the ball was drilling toward the near post.
Swoosh!
By the time Kožáčik dove to make the save, the ball was already in the net.
Hiss~
The Plzen fans in attendance sucked in their breath—they knew what this meant.
Seeing the goal, Julien didn't celebrate wildly. He hung his head low, raising his right hand and waving it.
2-4.
The goal that killed the match.
His teammates rushed over to celebrate with Julien, their exhausted faces were now showing relieved smiles.
"Beautiful!!"
At the sideline in front of the bench, the players erupted in celebration, instantly waving their arms.
Everyone was embracing each other.
The Viktoria Plzen players stood dejectedly on the field with hands on hips, looking at the scoreboard.
The 2-4 score was particularly conspicuous.
The remaining time made them feel even more powerless.
Three minutes of added time.
Less than two minutes remained.
Procházka, who had been chasing back, couldn't hold on for the final few steps and collapsed to the ground, burying his head in the grass.
Goalkeeper Kožáčik walked over, patting his shoulder consolingly.
At Doosan Arena, young fans had tears welling in their eyes.
But they pressed their lips together, bravely refusing to let them fall.
Hadzibegic and Chataigner both breathed sighs of relief—this match had been too nerve-wracking.
Fortunately, they had De Rocca, Lukaku, and De Bruyne. This proved that their summer transfer window had been absolutely explosive.
When Chataigner returned to the bench, he was still celebrating with raised arms.
The team still had weaknesses.
The defensive line and the goalkeeper position.
Thinking about the defense, Chataigner almost wished he could be twenty years younger and play center-back himself.
In his day, he had at least been on the fringe of the French national team.
As for the goalkeeper position.
Chataigner thought of the young Arsenal goalkeeper Julien had mentioned. Maybe they could try him in the winter window?
But it wasn't even October yet—it was still over two months away. Whether the team would make winter signings depended totally on the first half of the season's performance.
If they could reach the Europa League knockout stages, the team would naturally have the confidence to continue borrowing and pushing forward.
Chataigner looked toward Julien, who was waiting for kickoff at the center circle, calculating whether to ask if he had any defensive player recommendations.
Preferably a couple more solid center-backs from Chelsea.
Lukaku and De Bruyne had definitely given Chataigner a taste for success.
The match continued, but Bastia was already boiling with celebration—
"FORZA BASTIA!!"
"Reclaim the championship we lost forty-four years ago!"
They had only won one match.
But the fans were already fantasizing about the Europa League trophy. This was the confidence that Bastia now stimulated in their supporters.
Seeing De Rocca, seeing De Bruyne, seeing Kanté, seeing every player who stepped up in the match, it was hard for them not to feel confident.
Beep!!
Two minutes later.
The referee blew the final whistle.
The Viktoria Plzen players collapsed dejectedly on the field, their eyes were carrying the misery of having given everything without achieving their expected result.
But that's football.
Effort doesn't always bring rewards.
Sometimes, life is the same.
On roads with no visible end, you can only sprint with your head down. More often, you can only stop and look around in confusion.
This was exactly how the Plzen players felt at that moment.
In the Europa League, they had hoped to go further, but as a second-tier team facing a fourth-tier team without earning points.
For their remaining matches, they had no room for error.
Every game would be a battle of life and death!
The away section at Doosan Arena erupted, continuously chanting—"BA-STI-A!"
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