Moumbagna Rescues OM in Thrilling Draw Against Toulouse
Olympique de Marseille left the Stadium de Toulouse with a 2-2 draw against Toulouse FC on Sunday, thanks to late-game heroics to avoid losing a fourth straight Ligue 1 match.
OM came into this match against Toulouse after eliminating SL Benfica in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday, so the positive momentum was on Jean-Louis Gasset and his team’s side. Marseille opened the scoring in the 38th minute thanks to a goal from Jean Onana to get the team off on the right foot on the road.
Les Phocéens nearly entered the dressing room with a 1-0 lead at halftime, but Toulouse found a goal in the first-half stoppage time courtesy of a goal from Rasmus Nicolaisen to level the scoring 1-1.
Toulouse went into halftime with positive momentum behind their home crowd. Yann Gboho scored a goal for Les Violets in the 82nd minute, and with only a few minutes left in the contest, Toulouse nearly left with all three points, but that wouldn’t be the case.
In second-half stoppage time, OM found a goal in impressive and dramatic fashion. Faris Moumbagna, who had come on in the 59th minute, scored on a bicycle kick to level the scoring at 2-2, and the contest ended in a draw.
The result for Marseille isn’t ideal, considering they still trail fifth-place OGC Nice by seven points, and the route to play in a European competition next season via the Ligue 1 table is challenging.
OM does have five games remaining in the league schedule, and they’ll be in action Wednesday against Nice at the Stade Vélodrome in what is a must-win contest for Marseille. A win over Les Aiglons will allow Marseille to close the gap in what’s a thrilling race for these European competition spots.
Carles Martínez Novell and his team have four league matches left in their season and trail Lyon by four points as they seek to finish in the top half of the table to end their campaign on a positive note and build momentum for next season. Toulouse will travel next Sunday on the road to face FC Lorient.
