Sunday, September 20, 2009

 Toulouse FC / Le Mans UC 72 : 2 - 0

There was no place in the starting line-up for Pantxi Sirieix and Antoine Devaux, who scored in the 3-2 Europa League win at Partizan Belgrade on Thursday, as Alain Casanova reverted to type at the Stadium, and the Toulouse coach may have initially regretted his choice as the visitors took hold.

Roland Lamah twice called former Le Mans keeper Yohan Pelé into action before the hosts took the lead against the run of play on 26 minutes.

Etienne Didot, who had started the game in Serbia on the bench, celebrated his recall to the starting line-up with his first goal of the season, rounding off a sweeping move after good work from André-Pierre Gignac.

Le Mans remained threatening though, with Grégory Cerdan forcing Pelé into another stop on the stroke of half-time before Anthony Le Tallec twice gave his former team-mate cause for concern, even striking the woodwork with a long-range shot just before the hour mark.

Sissoko strike

With the visitors unable to take their chances, Toulouse could regroup and delivered the coup de grâce 21 minutes from time.

Didot this time providing the ammunition for Moussa Sissoko, and the promising young striker eased around Cerdan before unleashing a ferocious shot past Didier Ovono.

Ovono was then beaten again seconds later by Gignac's curling effort, but the Gabon international was saved by his left-hand post.

Gignac, Sissoko and Daniel Congré all had further chances to compound the misery of a dispirited Le Mans side, who slipped to their third consecutive defeat.

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