Liverpool surprised by Toulouse FC in the Europa League: The fight for qualification intensifies
In an evening full of emotions, Toulouse FC created a surprise by winning 3-2 against Liverpool on the fourth day of the Europa League. This unexpected result allows the French club to put itself back in the race for qualification. At the same time, Rennes and Marseille also won their respective matches against Panathinaïkós and AEK Athens, allowing them to glimpse a possible qualification.
The Téfécé supporters had certainly dreamed of such a scenario, as evidenced by their tifo inspired by the comedy “Les Bronzés sont du ski”. And their expectations were met. Facing Liverpool, who crushed them 5-1 at Anfield two weeks ago, the Toulouse residents proved that they could still hope to continue their European adventure by signing a prestigious victory. They thus return to second place in the group, behind their evening opponent. Union Saint-Gilloise, currently third, was defeated by Linz (3-0), allowing Toulouse to take the advantage.
The meeting was full of twists and turns at the Stadium, including the cancellation of a Liverpool goal in the final seconds thanks to the intervention of VAR. Toulouse opened the scoring in the 36th minute thanks to Aron Donnum, before Thijs Dallinga doubled the lead in the 58th minute. Frank Magri then sealed his side’s victory in the 76th minute, just three minutes after Liverpool had reduced the lead following a Casseres own goal. Although Diogo Jota scored a second goal for the English in the 89th minute, it was later canceled out, and Toulouse were able to celebrate their historic victory.
At the same time, Rennes also enjoyed success, winning 3-1 against Panathinaïkós. The Bretons scored in the 9th minute, thanks to a blunder by the opposing goalkeeper. Despite the exclusion of a Rennes player in the 33rd minute, the French club managed to take the lead thanks to goals from Ibrahim Salah and Ludovic Blas in the second half. With nine points, Rennes stands at the top of group F, ahead of Villareal (6 pts).
Marseille also shone by winning 2-0 against AEK Athens. Chancel Mbemba and Ismaïla Sarr scored the two winning goals, allowing OM to achieve a second consecutive success in the Europa League. With 8 points, Marseille occupies first place in group B, ahead of Brighton.
Thus, this evening was marked by the exploits of the French teams in the Europa League. Toulouse, Rennes and Marseille all achieved important victories, allowing them to hope for qualification for the rest of the competition. These successes bring some comfort to French football after the recent disappointments in the Champions League. Let’s hope that this dynamic continues and that French clubs continue to shine on the European scene.