Girondins win the Garonne derby [0-1]

From the whistle, Toulouse threw everything they had at the Girondins' defence. The long balls rained down on the Bordeaux defence, but Benoît Costil marshalled his troops well and let nothing slip past. This looked set to be another memorable Garonne derby! The intensity was high in these opening exchanges, and in the 12th minute Costil had a close call when a cross-cum-shot from Durmaz scraped just past his right post. The Girondins responded in kind with another attack led by Malcolm, a constant menace down the right wing. The Brazilian cut through the Toulouse defence, but his shot lacked precision. With 30 minutes on the clock, Toulouse were still looking dangerous in possession. Benoît Costil pulled off a fantastic save to block a close-range shot from Delort (31’). The hosts had the best of the possession, but the Girondins were solid at the back. Jocelyn Gourvennec's side were not short on ideas, but let themselves down with a few stray passes. Toulouse were also solid and well-organised at the back. TFC's Toivonen had the last chance of the first half, but his header missed the target (45+1’). The game was still goalless at the break, despite decent chances for both sides (0-0). Solid but often under pressure in the first half, Bordeaux returned to the field determined to hold onto the ball and create more chances. They got straight down to business, and TFC keeper Lafont soon found himself on the receiving end of three decent shots: he parried the first (from François Kamano) out for a corner (51’), caught the second (from Nicolas De Préville, 55’) and just about managed to keep out the third, a long-distance rocket from Lukas Lerager (55’). The Girondins were finally beginning to find their feet in attack. Toulouse seemed to be flagging a little, as the Girondins started to dominate possession. The hosts were struggling to get forward, and Bordeaux capitalised on this weakness to take the lead in the 69th minute! Teed up by François Kamano on the edge of the box, Malcom unleashed a scorcher from his left boot. In off the crossbar: 1-0 to the Girondins!  With the deadlock broken, the last twenty minutes were fast-paced but evenly-matched. Bordeaux kept looking to extend their lead, while Toulouse desperately sought an equaliser. The Girondins looked marginally more comfortable, happy to hold onto possession and wait it out. The Girondins held on well, seeing off Toulouse's final attacks without too much trouble. A solid performance and a well-deserved victory in the Garonne derby!