Ligue 1 (J27) : Toulouse continues against Lorient

By beating Lorient (1-0), Toulouse has achieved a second consecutive victory in Ligue 1.

A match without a clear stake between Toulouse and Lorient, two teams well placed in the middle of the standings. An opportunity to witness some spectacle with Lorient on fire for several months, having suffered only one defeat in fifteen Ligue 1 matches. Particularly, a remarkable victory against Lens (2-1) in the last match. As for Toulouse, the objective was to climb into the Top 10 and confirm their great victory against Metz (3-4). Right from the start of the match, there was almost a comical goal with a loss of ball by Faye at the entrance of the penalty area. Diop took advantage but rushed too much to shoot, allowing Mvogo to divert the ball (1st minute). This initial action was followed by a first half marked by a tactical battle. Lorient had chosen to let Toulouse have the ball without knowing what to do with it. The Merlus, on the other hand, were content controlling the tempo of the match without endangering themselves. As a result, both teams went back to the locker rooms with a logical score of 0-0, with almost no chances except for a beautiful slalom by Cadiou, whose shot was ultimately blocked (45th+3).

Emersonn makes the difference

At the start of the second half, the match was slightly different with some spaces starting to open up. The Lorient players decided to take control of the game. Hidalgo had the first chance by heading a Casseres free kick at the near post, but it was off target (49th minute). Dieng responded but his shot was well blocked by a nice tackle from Nicolaisen (62nd minute). Both teams remained somewhat disorganized in the box, but the introduction of Emersonn brought some energy to Toulouse’s attack. The Brazilian would then open the scoring with a beautiful play. Sent through on goal, he bypassed Adjei with a nice feint before scoring with a powerful shot under the bar (1-0, 83rd minute). The Merlus tried to muster their last efforts to equalize but were unsuccessful. Kouassi came close, but his powerful shot was repelled by Guillaume Restes, who took it to the face and remained knocked out for a few minutes, with no consequence. Emersonn and Sauer were close to ending the suspense (90th+8 minute). In the end, the Toulouse players could celebrate their victory, allowing them to move just ahead of their visitors of the day to the 9th place. Certainly some regrets for the Merlus who did not fully seize their chance by being too cautious throughout the majority of the match.