Lille’s First Half Goals Enough to Edge Toulouse for Road Win

LOSC opened the scoring courtesy of a goal from Matias Fernandez-Pardo in the 21st minute to give the away side a one-goal lead as he scored off an assist from Benjamin André.

There hadn’t been much action in the previous few minutes, but suddenly, Fernandez-Pardo cut back into the middle and unleashed a powerful right-footed shot from 20 meters out that left Guillaume Restes helpless.

Toulouse would level the scoring right before halftime as Charlie Cresswell found the back of the net in the 42nd minute.

After missing a cross from the left, the Englishman was set up by Rafik Messali, who had won the ball on the other side. Messali delivered a perfect cross, and Cresswell headed it past Lucas Chevalier. The goal was confirmed after a review for a potential foul.

Les Violets seemed to have seized momentum from Lille with their late first-half goal, but Les Dogues quickly answered with one of their own before the break.

Mitchel Bakker curled a left-footed shot slightly deflected by Cristian Cásseres, sending it in a completely different direction. Restes had already gone the other way and had no chance to stop it.

The home side pushed hard to equalize in the second half, registering five shots, but Chevalier was up to the task, making three saves to keep the score at 2-1 as Lille left with all three points.

After the match, André spoke with DAZN and shared his thoughts on the victory as Lille remain right in the thick of the race for one of the two automatic UEFA Champions League spots next season.

“We didn’t start the match well, but then we had some control. We managed the end of the first half well. After that, we played into their hands and gave them counterattacks.”

"We need to keep the ball better to manage the game better, but we didn’t manage the second half well. Points are valuable, and we’re going to have direct matchups. We have to take all the points we can, especially after last week’s setback.”

The Stat: 3

Since the start of 2025, it's been a tough stretch for Toulouse, with just three wins in their last 14 Ligue 1 McDonald's matches, along with seven losses and four draws.

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