The next day, the coastal city of Bastia was plunged into unprecedented euphoria. The fans' excitement rivaled their jubilation from last season's double crown but this time, there was a vital difference.
Last season, they had been dominant within their own borders, crushing domestic opposition.
But now? Now they had truly stepped onto the European stage.
It was like Napoleon departing from Corsica to sweep across the continent—they were doing the same thing, only with a football as their weapon instead of artillery.
Every Bastia supporter felt something different stirring in their chest, a hunger that made them dare to shout their desires aloud:
"We want trophies! More trophies!"
The enthusiasm wasn't limited to Bastia. Throughout France and across Europe, the news of Bastia's consecutive eliminations of Tottenham and Inter Milan—their march into the Europa League quarter-finals continued to send shockwaves through the footballing world.
L'Équipe, having already reported Julien's meteoric rise, devoted another lengthy feature to the phenomenon:
"When the final whistle pierced the Corsican night at Stade Armand Césari, the scoreboard's cold 2-0 (5-1 on aggregate) signified that Bastia, a promoted Ligue 1 side from a city of barely one hundred thousand souls had, in the most stunning fashion imaginable, crushed Serie A giants Inter Milan and stormed into the Europa League quarter-finals as the competition's most improbable dark horse.
And the absolute master of this epic battle was none other than their Corsican son—Julien De Rocca!
With two ruthless goals in the second leg and five across both matches, he personally terminated any hope the Italian powerhouse had of advancing further in the Europa League.
From their anonymous ascent as Ligue 2 champions to their current dominance on top of the Ligue 1 table, and now to the glory of the Europa League quarter-finals, Bastia has trampled every doubt with each successive step.
Their home fortress, Stade Armand Césari, has become a living hell for European giants—twenty thousand fanatics transformed into a deafening twelfth man, their roars making the bravest teams tremble.
Here, N'Golo Kanté's tireless engine covers every blade of grass. De Bruyne and Rothen orchestrate counterattacks with clinical precision. Van Dijk and Angoula form an impenetrable steel barrier that reduces opposing strikers to mere shadows of themselves.
And all of it—every tactical element exists to elevate one shining star: Julien De Rocca!
His brace against Inter, five goals across two legs to butcher the Italian giants—this is merely a glimpse of the 18-year-old striker's terrifying dominance this season.
In Europa League competition: 9 appearances, 15 goals!
An average of nearly 1.7 goals per match—an almost absurd efficiency that has him miles clear on the scoring charts, striking fear into every defender who faces him.
In Ligue 1, he sits on top of the golden boot race with 46 goals while also ranking among the assist leaders with 17—almost single-handedly carrying a promoted side toward the championship trophy!
His arsenal is devastating: zero-angle finishes at San Siro, direct free-kick strikes, composed breakdowns of five-man defensive clusters, and tonight's jaw-dropping bicycle kick. His goals are a perfect fusion of imagination and violent beauty.
But what's even more remarkable is this: across all of European football, when measuring players by total goal contributions across all competitions, Julien's name is the only one that can approach the summit occupied by a man named Lionel Messi!
Last season, the Argentine maestro scored 73 goals and assisted 32 more—105 total goal contributions in a single campaign.
Messi's fourth consecutive Ballon d'Or still gleams brightly, but this youthful storm from Bastia is shaking the very foundations of the old order with unprecedented force."
Articles like this flooded the media world. Julien had become a phenomenon in French football—something beyond simple celebrity.
And Bastia, because of Julien's presence, had transformed into one of France's most popular tourist destinations. Thousands of fans made visits to this Mediterranean coastal town specifically because of him.
They discovered street murals depicting Julien in every corner of the old quarter. They gazed up at the massive Julien mural adorning the Terra-Vecchia center building. They visited the Bastia Museum to witness the comprehensive archive documenting every step of Julien's journey with the club—how this prodigious talent had risen from the ashes here in Bastia.
When interviewed, the Mayor of Bastia declared: "Julien is no longer just a player—he is Corsica's gift to the world, the beating heart of Bastia.
Since he began dazzling Europe, our city has experienced an unprecedented wave of passion!
Every day, hundreds, sometimes thousands of fans arrive from across France, from all over Europe, even from distant corners of the globe, drawn by the name 'Julien De Rocca' alone!
"Bastia possesses every trace of Julien's story. What these visitors touch isn't merely football passion—it's a Corsican tale of redemption, struggle, and dreams!
We're planning to build a football-themed plaza called Julien De Rocca Square, where children can play and embrace the beautiful game. We'll also erect a statue of Julien in the square before the museum—positioned so that from most parts of Bastia, you can look up and see it.
Both initiatives have already passed approval, and we're moving forward steadily."
This was how seriously Bastia took Julien's importance.
The city government was even considering attracting investment to help Bastia retain him. They understood the club's current financial limitations all too well.
Though helping Bastia keep their star would prove extremely difficult.
After Bastia's triumph into the Europa League quarter-finals, the city spent an entire night in celebration and still hadn't calmed down by afternoon.
At Sunset Café & Bar, Modoso, Martin, Roncaglia, and the rest of the regulars gathered once again. They celebrated last night's victory while anxiously anticipating the quarter-final draw results.
With all eight quarter-finalists confirmed the previous evening, the official draw ceremony would begin at 6 PM today.
"Listen to me—I know you're all worried about drawing Chelsea," Modoso said, climbing onto his bench and roared at the gathered crowd. "But answer me this: when we drew Tottenham, when we drew Inter Milan, did you despair?!"
The others nodded ardently.
Absolutely. When those draws had been made, everyone said it was a death sentence—that Bastia was finished.
They already knew what Modoso was building toward.
Sure enough, after downing another gulp of beer, Modoso roared again: "So what happened?! Who became the only team out of those four to reach the quarter-finals? Who eliminated Tottenham and Inter Milan consecutively?!"
"BASTIA!"
From his corner, Roncaglia, a product of Bastia's youth academy felt overwhelming pride surge through him.
This was his club. His people.
"YES! BASTIA!"
The entire bar erupted. The names of Bastia and Julien echoed through the shop, carried out into the sea breeze.
Meanwhile, at Bastia's training complex, all the players gathered in the conference room to watch the broadcast.
Julien and the other internationals had booked evening flights specifically to watch the draw ceremony before departing for national team duty.
The clock struck six.
The 2012-13 Europa League quarter-final draw ceremony began once again at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.
Initial graphics displayed the match schedule: quarter-final first legs on April 4th, second legs on April 11th. The team drawn first would host the first leg.
The ceremony was hosted by UEFA Competition Director Giorgio Marchetti, with former Dutch striker Patrick Kluivert serving as the draw ambassador.
After the host explained the draw rules, the big screen displayed each quarter-finalist's journey to this stage, complete with highlight packages.
First up: tournament favorites Chelsea.
Hazard, Torres, Mata, Oscar, Lampard, David Luiz, Ivanović, Čech—a parade of Blues stars filled the screen.
Sitting together, Julien, Lukaku, and Kevin De Bruyne watched these players with complex emotions. For Lukaku and De Bruyne especially, these were their competitors—the men who'd been chosen over them.
Coming to Bastia meant they were, in some sense, the ones who'd lost that battle.
Next came Newcastle United: Ben Arfa, Cissé, Cabaye, Moussa Sissoko flashing across the display.
Then came the moment everyone at Bastia had been waiting for.
The Moor's head crest appeared on screen.
What followed was Bastia's entire European campaign compressed into dazzling highlights—their emergence from the group stage, their victories over Tottenham and Inter.
Most of the attacking highlights naturally featured Julien, along with key defensive moments showing Van Dijk and others roaring.
The entire Bastia montage radiated one feeling: a young king surveying his domain.
The audacity of youth!
Lukaku and the other teammates teased Julien good-naturedly: "Your goals took up the entire video. Didn't leave anything for the rest of us."
Julien just smiled.
After all eight teams had been introduced, Kluivert joined the host to begin the actual draw.
This draw had no seeding, no restrictions at all. Teams from the same association or who'd already met in the group stage could be paired together.
Chelsea, the overwhelming favorites, were drawn first. Their opponents: Russian side Rubin Kazan.
Julien, De Bruyne, Lukaku, and the others breathed slightly easier. None of them wanted to face the tournament's strongest team in the quarter-finals.
Just as they relaxed momentarily, everyone tensed up again.
Because the next ball drawn was Bastia!
The biggest dark horse in both Ligue 1 and Europa League this season.
Who would their opponents be?
Julien and his teammates watched Kluivert's hand intently. With Chelsea already drawn, they felt relatively confident about facing any of the remaining teams.
When Kluivert unfolded the paper slip, Lukaku's eyes lit up instantly!
"HAHAHA! Finally, we get some minnows! Basel!"
You couldn't blame Lukaku for his excitement. He'd discovered that he scored far more readily against weaker opposition. His twenty-plus Ligue 1 goals had come primarily against mid-table and relegation-threatened sides. He rarely scored in big matches.
In contrast, Julien consistently delivered in high-stakes encounters.
Julien and De Bruyne exchanged relieved smiles.
After facing two European giants in the Round of 32 and Round of 16, they could finally catch their breath.
Their opponents were Swiss side Basel.
Like Chelsea, Bastia would play the first leg at home, the second leg away.
Subsequently, Italy's sole remaining representative Lazio was drawn in the third match—they would travel to the cauldron of Turkey to face Fenerbahçe.
Finally, Newcastle where Kluivert himself had once played were drawn last. Their opponents: European pedigree side Benfica.
Like the Champions League, Europa League had reformed its format this year. Today's draw determined only the quarter-final matchups. The semi-final draw would be held on April 12th, also at UEFA headquarters.
The two-legged semi-finals would take place on April 25th and May 2nd.
The final would be held on May 15th at the Amsterdam Arena.
Seeing Basel as their opponents, the players obviously relaxed.
However, Hadzibegic expression remained stern. He coughed to draw everyone's attention.
"Alright, lads," he began, his voice cutting through their relief. "The draw is done. Basel. I know what you're thinking—'a good draw,' 'an opportunity.'"
Hadzibegic nodded slightly. "Yes, on paper, in terms of reputation, maybe that's true. But remember where we are right now: Europa League quarter-finals!
Every single team that's reached this stage earned their place. None of them are here by luck. None of them are 'easy opposition.'
Basel eliminated Zenit Saint Petersburg and Zenit knocked out Liverpool! Basel's home ground, St. Jakob-Park, is one of Europe's most notorious fortresses. Artificial turf, fanatical supporters, relentless pressing—these are challenges we must respect completely.
They have key players we need to account for. Right winger Mohamed Salah. Midfield anchor Mohamed Elneny. Even their goalkeeper, Yann Sommer! All of them have been excellent this season. We absolutely cannot afford complacency. Don't think that because we beat Tottenham and eliminated Inter Milan, we're suddenly a top-tier team.
Remember what we are: Bastia. An anonymous Ligue 2 side until recently.
Never forget where we came from!"
Julien hadn't paid much attention initially, but hearing those names made him focus. He'd thought he recognized some faces in Basel's highlight reel.
Salah, Elneny, Sommer, Fabian Schär—all of them just beginning to showcase their talents at this stage of their careers.
Especially Salah.
While Julien processed this, Hadzibegic continued: "Lads, we're on a historic journey—but this isn't the destination! Basel is a mountain we must climb to reach even greater heights.
We'll conquer it with our focus, our unity, and the indomitable Corsican spirit that never surrenders!
For the crest on our chests, for the fans on our island, for the dream we all share—
Take down Basel and march into the semi-finals!
ALLEZ BASTIA!"
The Bastia players immediately shed their complacency, nodding seriously and joining Hadzibegic's battle cry:
"FIGHT, BASTIA!!"
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