Toulouse FC claimed their first preseason win of the summer on Friday, beating Real Sociedad 2-1 at the Stade Maurice-Trélut in Tarbes, with South American strikers Julian Vignolo and Santiago Hidalgo both scoring before half-time to erase the memory of a 1-1 draw with second-division Rodez the previous week.
Vignolo opened the scoring on 32 minutes, heading into an empty net after Alexis Vossah’s effort had been stopped by the goalkeeper on the six-yard line. Carlos Soler levelled for Real Sociedad three minutes later with a free kick from 20 metres that curled into the right side of the net. Hidalgo then restored Toulouse’s lead in the fourth minute of first-half stoppage time, arriving in behind Vossah to poke the ball past the Real goalkeeper. The match was played in front of around 2,000 supporters at a sold-out ground.
Full-backs impress on both flanks
Toulouse’s only two summer signings so far are both full-backs, and both made an impression for the second successive preseason game after positive debuts the weekend before in Montauban. Right-back Ismaïl Diallo, who arrives from a National-level club in Dijon, fired a shot that came close to the top-left corner of Unai Marrero’s goal in the third minute and won a firm defensive duel with Zakharian on 18 minutes. Ivorian left-back Christ Tapé, signed from Danish club Horsens, first got the better of Ochieng defensively before beating him with an outside-of-the-boot cut in the 20th minute.
Nicolaisen steady as captain
Head coach Jens Berthel Askou, the Dane appointed on 21 May, handed the captain’s armband to centreback Rasmus Nicolaisen, who put in a composed performance. A well-timed retreating challenge to deny Carrera a clear run on goal in the 26th minute highlighted his reading of the game.
Dönnum grows into the playmaker role
Norwegian midfielder Aron Dönnum, again deployed centrally as a No.10, took time to settle but improved as the match went on. He played Hidalgo in on goal just before the first stoppage-time minute but the striker’s left-footed effort went wide. A minute later, Dönnum fed Vignolo, who found Vossah, who slipped in Hidalgo for the winner.
