Toma Basic and Jimmy Briand scored the goals as Bordeaux scored a valuable 2-1 home win over luckless Toulouse in the Garonne derby.
Girondins de Bordeaux 2-1 Toulouse FC
THE MATCH
Toulouse could feel hard done by as they dominated the possession and the chance count for the bulk of proceedings. Alain Casanova's team made an abysmal start, however, as they fell behind (2') when the unmarked Basic stooped to head in a precise François Kamano cross from the left for an invaluable first Les Girondins Ligue 1 Conforama goal.
TFC were left to rue spurned chances. Yaya Sanogo was through one-on-one with Benoît Costil (26') after a superb Ibrahim Sangaré ball over the top but the former Arsenal forward contrived to shoot wide. Full-back Steven Moreira was even further off target with a free header (35').
Sanogo (46') saw a close-range header flick off Jules Kounde's head and Bordeaux, who gave young English forward Josh Maja a debut, were firmly on the back foot. Toulouse equalised (70') through a well controlled Yannick Cahuzac volley after a Sanogo shot on the turn had been blocked by his own man Sangaré.
There was to be a sting in the tail for Alain Casanova's side, who have won only one of their last seven league fixtures. After a Bordeaux set-piece, Cahuzac could only head the ball out as far as Briand, and the 33-year-old cleverly adjusted his body in order to be able to fire a left-footed volley into the corner of Baptiste Reynet's net.
THE PLAYER: Jimmy Briand
No Frenchman currently playing in Ligue 1 Conforama has scored more than Briand's 90 top division goals. The veteran frontman has a habit of making Toulouse pay and his derby winner was the fourth goal he'd scored in his last seven appearances against TFC.
THE STAT: 3
Bordeaux brought to an end a run of three consecutive Ligue 1 Conforama defeats.