Recap: Aboukhlal's Late Goal Helps Toulouse Edge ASSE

Toulouse FC scored two unanswered goals in the second half to secure a dramatic win over Saint-Étienne on Friday night at Stadium de Toulouse.

It was a scoreless first half between the two sides with Les Violets recording five total shots while the visitors registered zero total shots. Despite the 0-0 scoreline heading into halftime, the excitement increased in the second half.

After having zero total shots in the first 45 minutes, Les Verts opened the scoring in the 53rd minute as Dennis Appiah assisted on the goal by Lucas Stassin. The 20-year-old scored on a left-footed shot from the center of the box to the center of the goal to allow Saint-Étienne to take a 1-0 advantage, but the lead didn't last long.

Two minutes later, in the 55th minute, Toulouse responded with a goal of their own as Gabriel Suazo assisted a goal scored by Shavy Babicka. The 24-year-old scored on a header from the right side of the six-yard box to the center of the goal thanks to a cross from Suazo.

Following a chaotic two minutes, both sides were level 1-1 and things stayed that way for most of the second half. In the 85th minute, Toulouse scored the eventual game-winner thanks to a goal from Zakaria Aboukhlal as the home side turned a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 advantage.

Aboukhlal scored with a header from close range to the center of the goal, set up by Niklas Schmidt. Toulouse secured a home win and now sit in eighth place in the Ligue 1 table with 21 points, just two points behind OGC Nice for the UEFA Europa Conference League spot next season.

The loss for Saint-Étienne (16th, 13 points, and -22 goal differential) is a significant setback heading into 2025 as they could be in a direct relegation spot by the end of the weekend if Le Havre (17th, 12 points, and -15 goal differential) secure a draw or a win on Sunday over RC Strasbourg.

After the loss, Appiah spoke to DAZN and shared his thoughts on the team's performance, saying they should've at least come away with a point.

"It’s frustrating because we made real progress in this game. We were asking for the ball, and we saw what we could do. When we play like this, we should at least come away with a point. It’s tough, but we need to keep learning and do it quickly. We need to keep performing like this, score more goals, and most importantly, stop conceding."

The Stat: Toulouse's Long Wait is Over

The come-from-behind win by Toulouse over Saint-Étienne didn't earn the squad three points, but it helped snap a winless streak as they hadn't defeated Les Verts in Ligue 1 since August 9, 2015.

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