Ten-man Toulouse cling to victory as Lyon slip from Champions League spots

With just two matches left in the season, Toulouse faced low stakes, yet the hosts wasted no time, taking the lead within the first 10 minutes as Yann Gboho unleashed a pinpoint pass that pierced the defence, sending Dayann Methalie clear on goal, where he delivered a superb strike beyond Dominik Greif.

Lyon came close to pulling level soon after, with Afonso Moreira surging along the left wing before locating Khalis Merah inside the penalty area, though his header drifted wide of the far post.

The visitors kept pressing for a leveller, as Endrick embarked on a dazzling run into the box but managed only to steer his low shot into the side netting.

Their pressure eased off, and Toulouse nearly extended their advantage right before the break when Gboho sparked a quick break and fed Santiago Hidalgo, but the misplaced pass led to an awkward effort that struck the upright.

The home team maintained control following the interval, while Paulo Fonseca’s squad found it hard to establish any rhythm in the game.

Even with Toulouse holding most of the possession, they failed to convert it into clear opportunities, a shortfall that proved costly when Lyon equalised with 20 minutes still to play.

From Endrick’s corner, Corentin Tolisso rose highest to nod it home, the Lyon skipper enjoying his most prolific scoring run yet with 15 goals across all tournaments.

The scores remained tied for under 10 minutes before Toulouse regained the upper hand in the 78th minute, Hidalgo’s clever backheel into the box finished off by Warren Kamanzi.

In this rollercoaster encounter, Lyon received a boost when the home side went down to 10 players after Aron Donnum picked up a second booking with over 10 minutes plus added time left.

Fonseca’s team pushed for another equaliser, but Carles Martinez Novell’s players stood firm to claim all three points, boosting their hopes of a top-half position with one fixture still ahead.