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Lyon escape with a point from Toulouse

Lyon escape with a point from Toulouse

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Publish on 01/16 at 00:00 - S. WILLIS

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Olympique Lyonnais came from 2-0 down thanks to goals from Moussa Dembélé and Nabil Fekir to snatch a point with a 2-2 draw at Toulouse FC in Wednesday's rearranged Week 17 fixture.

 Toulouse FC 2-2 Olympique Lyonnais  

Goals: 1-0 Durmaz (12'), 2-0 Durmaz (74' pen.), 2-1 Dembélé (75'), 2-2 Fekir (87')

THE MATCH
With just one win — over modest Bourges in the Coupe de France — in three outings in 2019, Lyon headed to the south west looking to maintain their excellent record in Toulouse.

The seven-time Ligue 1 Conforama champions had won on each of their previous three visits to the Rose City, but Jimmy Durmaz thumping home the opener just 12 minutes in put that record in serious danger.

Corentin Jean then forced Anthony Lopes into a save (27') as Toulouse continued to press, though Bertrand Traoré, who had scored twice in his last two competitive outings, came desperately close to pulling Lyon level with a header (36').

Aouar miss

Hossem Aouar, who missed a good opportunity in the first half, should have steered home the equaliser early in the second half (55') but miscued his shot as Lyon failed to significantly trouble Baptiste Reynet in the home goal.

The same could be said of Lopes, though after Jason Denayer had been spotted by VAR handling a Matthieu Dossevi cross, the Portugal international had to bend down to pick the ball out of his net after Durmaz had dispatched a penalty beyond him to double Toulouse's lead (74').

With Sunday's Rhône derby rivals AS Saint-Etienne in fourth only behind Lyon on goal difference coming into the game and with Les Verts playing later in the evening at home to troubled Olympique de Marseille, Bruno Genesio would have been looking for his team to react.

Fekir stunner

They did so within 60 seconds thanks to two players who started the game on the bench. Fekir had taken a knock to an ankle in last weekend's home draw with Stade de Reims, but the FIFA World Cup winner had shaken that off by the time he slipped a pass into the run of Dembélé, who clipped the ball around Reynet and into the corner (75').

Lopes smothered at the feet of Dossevi (79') and Reynet denied Traoré (81') before Fekir sent a 20-metre free-kick arcing into the Toulouse goalkeeper's top-left corner to level brilliantly (87').

But for Reynet tipping over a Dembélé header in added time (90+6'), Lyon would have had an improbable win. Genesio will be hoping they are just saving up their first league triumph of the new year for Sunday's trip to the Stade Geoffroy Guichard.

THE PLAYER: Yannick Cahuzac
The veteran will be 34 in two days' time, but showed that none of his fire and determination has been diminished by age. Installed at the heart of the home back three and wearing the captain's armband, he was inspirational.

THE STAT: 5
Lyon are unbeaten in their last five Ligue 1 Conforama away games, but have drawn the last three.

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