Sissoko strike proves vital
Last Updated: August 26, 2012 12:58am
Moussa Sissoko's early strike lifted Toulouse to a narrow Ligue 1 win over Nancy.
Both sides had four points from their opening two fixtures coming into this match but it was the visitors who preserved their unbeaten record to climb to third, level on points with Valenciennes and leaders Lyon.
Nancy had their chances to cancel out Sissoko's 10th-minute strike in an open encounter, but saw their hopes hit by the 48th-minute dismissal of Andre Luiz as Toulouse held on to register back-to-back wins.
Toulouse went ahead with their first meaningful attack of the match, Sissoko swooping on the loose ball after Nancy ceded possession and exchanging passes with Daniel Braaten before firing a first-time effort beyond Guy N'Dy Assembe.
Nancy came close to equalising on 24 minutes when Salif Sane's header from Thomas Mangani's corner was saved by Ali Ahamada, but the hosts found themselves on the back foot in the 48th minute when Luiz received a straight red card for a dangerous tackle on Cheikh M'Bengue.
Assembe kept out Francois Sirieix's 57th-minute free-kick as the visitors looked to turn the screw, but Nancy served a reminder of their threat when Jeff Louis's header was plucked out of the air by Ahamada.
On 64 minutes Braaten beat a string of defenders before firing in a low shot that Assembe was equal to, while the home goalkeeper was again busy two minutes later as he denied Franck Tabanou.
Nancy almost snatched a point against the odds in the 73rd minute when Loosemy Karaboue left fly with a drilled effort but Ahamada preserved his clean sheet with an excellent save.
Matches
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French Ligue 1
Table
French Ligue 1
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paris St Germain | 36 | 77 |
| 2 | Marseille | 36 | 70 |
| 3 | Lyon | 36 | 63 |
| 4 | Lille | 36 | 60 |
| 5 | Nice | 36 | 60 |
| 6 | St Etienne | 36 | 59 |
| 7 | Lorient | 36 | 53 |
| 8 | Bordeaux | 36 | 52 |
| 9 | Montpellier | 36 | 51 |
| 10 | Toulouse | 36 | 45 |
| 11 | Valenciennes | 36 | 45 |
| 12 | Rennes | 36 | 45 |
| 13 | Bastia | 36 | 43 |
| 14 | Sochaux | 36 | 40 |
| 15 | AC Ajaccio | 36 | 39 |
| 16 | Reims | 36 | 39 |
| 17 | Evian Thonon Gaillar | 36 | 37 |
| 18 | Nancy | 36 | 35 |
| 19 | Troyes | 36 | 34 |
| 20 | Brest | 36 | 29 |
