Toulouse vs. PSG: Winners and Losers from Ligue 1 Game
Paris Saint-Germain have moved a provisional 23 points clear at the top of the Ligue 1 table after a narrow 1-0 win away at Toulouse. However, the three points came at a cost for manager Laurent Blanc’s men at Stadium Municipal.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s 73rd-minute header was enough for the runaway leaders of Le Championnat to extend their already comfortable advantage at the summit, but injuries to Javier Pastore and Marquinhos will detract from the positivity of another victory.
Otherwise, Toulouse were unlucky to not take at least one point from the game. The in-form Wissam Ben Yedder hit the crossbar in the first half and manager Dominique Arribage’s men could have been in front at the break.
Instead, Les Parisiens ground out the win thanks to Ibrahimovic. Here are some winners and losers from PSG’s 1-0 win away at Toulouse.
Winner: Wissam Ben Yedder
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Although he ended the game on the losing side, Toulouse striker Wissam Ben Yedder proved against PSG that the recent fuss about him is not totally unfounded.
The 25-year-old was a constant threat to the French champions and he saw a brilliant first-half effort cannon back off the crossbar after toying with PSG defender David Luiz.
Ben Yedder has 10 goals from his last 10 appearances across all competitions, and he will have the chance to add to that tally when the pair meet again in the Coupe de France next Tuesday.
Loser: Javier Pastore
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Starting in a second consecutive domestic game for the first time since back in September, PSG midfielder Javier Pastore was only able to last 16 minutes before succumbing to injury.
It is the second time this season that the Argentina international has been forced off in the first half of a game.
Pastore has struggled all season with fitness issues, and he wasted no time in signalling for a substitution after minimal contact was made in a clash with Toulouse midfielder Somalia.
PSG and El Flaco will hope that it is nothing serious, but the 26-year-old could be set for another frustrating spell out of action.
Winner: Zlatan Ibrahimovic
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As is so often the case with PSG when they are playing poorly, striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic came to the rescue when his team needed him most in Toulouse.
With just 17 minutes remaining, the super Swede nodded in David Luiz’s flick header and that goal was all the Ligue 1 giants needed to secure victory.
Aside from his header, Ibrahimovic drew a flying save out of young TFC goalkeeper Alban Lafont late on.
However, the 34-year-old’s work was already done and he now has 16 goals from as many appearances in Le Championnat.
Loser: Marquinhos
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Had it not been for his injury after 60 minutes, Marquinhos would have been a winner from this match.
Up until the hour mark, the Brazil international had been superb at the back for PSG and was a major reason why they did not find themselves a goal behind.
However, Marquinhos suffered an injury with 30 minutes to go and the 21-year-old knew immediately that he needed to be substituted.
With captain Thiago Silva currently out with a knock to his knee sustained in the recent 2-0 win over SC Bastia, Laurent Blanc will hope that Marquinhos’ injury is not too severe.
It comes at the worst possible time for the youngster, who has deserved more playing time this season and proved why with a superb hour-long display in Toulouse.
Winner: Alban Lafont
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Although Ibrahimovic eventually beat him, Toulouse goalkeeper Alban Lafont will have pleased Dominique Arribage with the way he handled himself in his toughest test so far.
The 16-year-old shot stopper made a fantastic flying save to keep out a goal-bound Ibrahimovic free-kick late on.
However, it was the fact that he generally looked more assured between the sticks in the face of the likes of the Swede than Ali Ahamada and Mauro Goicoechea have all season that will have encouraged Arribage.
In his seven Ligue 1 outings so far, the teenage Lafont has kept two clean sheets and only conceded seven times.
Loser: Benjamin Stambouli
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Laurent Blanc’s decision to start with a midfield consisting of Thiago Motta, Benjamin Stambouli and Blaise Matuidi was a strange one, especially with Marco Verratti on the bench.
Therefore, it was no surprise that PSG struggled for creativity against Toulouse and were less dominant than usual in the middle.
None of the starting three enjoyed particularly good games, but Stambouli was arguably the worst of the bunch.
The Frenchman is best used as an alternative to Motta in the deep-lying role, but Blanc positioned him further forward in Verratti’s usual position.
Le President’s gamble did not work and Stambouli spent his 77 minutes on the pitch trying to do the same thing as Motta, but in less-efficient style.
