Authors of an excellent first period, the Violets sealed their success in thirty minutes and left no hope to the Canaries in the final on Saturday (5-1).
The end of 66 years of an interminable wait. Thanks to four goals scored in the first half hour, Toulouse stifled Nantes from the start of the final on Saturday April 29 (5-1). The Violets offer themselves, with style, the second French Cup in the history of the city, after that obtained in 1957. Despite a tense and confused context around the stadium, the TFC and its scorers, Logan Costa and Thijs Dallinga, who scored twice then Zakaria Aboukhlal, never seemed caught up in what was at stake in this final. Unlike Nantes, overwhelmed from the first minute of play, and who sank without ever entering their final.
Is it the stress of a maintenance not yet acquired or the lack of commitment of the outgoing winner which plunged the Canaries into doubt from the kick-off? Despite the yellow tide, massed and noisy already several hours before kick-off, the people of Nantes were never in the game, overtaken by hungry Toulouse. They miss their appointment with history, they who could have achieved a new double in the Coupe de France, after the 1999 and 2000 editions.
Canaries plucked in 30 minutes
Antoine Kombouaré’s men drank the cup immediately, the fault of defender Logan Costa: first on a header boxed at close range (1-0, 3rd) then on a new header on receipt of a rebate from Stijn Spierings (2-0, 10th). Too passive, the Nantes defense offered obvious breaches to the TFC, which did not hesitate to exploit them.
Thijs Dallinga took over from Cape Verde by also going there with his double, first on a bright opening from Gabriel Suazo on the left side (3-0, 23rd) then on an opportunistic recovery after a strike from Chaïbi badly repelled by Lafont (4-0, 31st).
Stunned at the break, FC Nantes, however carried as in 2022 by a burning public, went through the second period like its final: like a shadow. The entries of Andy Delort and Ignatius Ganago allowed Nantes to project themselves, but they never seemed able to shake up the Toulouse block perfectly in place once the score was in their advantage.
Toulouse unleashed, Nantes disenchanted
Unrecognizable, like the hero of the semi-final Ludovic Blas, who still saved the honor on penalty (4-1, 75th) and Nicolas Pallois, released at half-time, the Canaries let slip the opportunity to save a failed season and offer joy to Toulouse, which buried all hope at the end of the match by Zakaria Aboukhlal (5-1, 78th). Worse: 16th in the standings, they are still under the direct threat of relegation and will play their season against their direct competitors, Brest and Strasbourg, next week.
For Toulouse, the intoxication of victory acts as a relief. Promoted this season in Ligue 1, after having missed its rise in 2021-2022 in the play-off against… Nantes, Téfécé finds the happiness of a title, more than half a century after its last. And how: you have to go back to 1970 to see a winner score five goals in the final (5-0 for Saint-Etienne against Nantes). By leading 4-0 at half-time, the Violets dust off a 68-year-old record and will be able to savor their end to the season, with a stay in the elite almost guaranteed. With the European Cup in sight, which they will find for the first time since 2009-2010.
