Casper Tengstedt and Thomas Jorgensen, the two Danish forwards signed by Toulouse FC over the summer, both scored in the second half as the Ligue 1 club fought back from two goals down to draw 2-2 away to Lorient on Saturday night.
Tengstedt gave Toulouse a lifeline just minutes after coming on as a half-time substitute, heading home in the 48th minute, a goal that vindicated Askou's decision to send him on at the break. Jorgensen doubled the recovery 20 minutes later, in the 68th minute, finishing off what was described as a superb goal after a virtuoso slalom through the Lorient penalty area. It was a reward that looked more than deserved given the chances the Dane had already carved out for himself earlier in the season.
Beyond the goals themselves, Tengstedt and Jorgensen, who both joined Toulouse in August, struck up a technical partnership that was central to the team's heavy dominance after the break, in a second half that bore no resemblance to a poor first 45 minutes.
Toulouse FC, who play in Ligue 1, the top flight of French football, and are based in the Haute-Garonne region of southwestern France, are coached by fellow Dane Jens Berthel Askou. Lorient, their hosts on Saturday, are based in Brittany on France's western coast. Toulouse had fallen two goals behind before the turnaround, following a first half that Askou admitted was far below the level his team showed after the interval.
Askou explains the tactical switch
Askou said that against a team set up in a 5-4-1 formation, a defensive shape built around five defenders, four midfielders and a lone striker, his players had to find space between the lines and move the ball quickly, often in one touch, to unsettle the opposition. He said he had been very disappointed with his side's performance before half-time.
That was precisely what Jorgensen and Tengstedt went on to deliver, combining repeatedly in tight spaces in a way that underlined Tengstedt is far more than a pure finisher, and also a player who contributes to building attacks alongside his compatriot. Askou described the pair as two intelligent, technically gifted players who think and play quickly, adding that it was pleasing to see them find each other so well on the pitch. He said he was convinced the goals would be good for their confidence.
Near misses in earlier matches
The understanding between the two forwards had already been building before the trip to Brittany, even if it had not yet produced a goal. Jorgensen had gone close to a goal that could have been spectacular after another virtuoso dribble, in an earlier match against Lyon, while Tengstedt had squandered a big opportunity against Lille by chipping his shot too high over goalkeeper Özer.
Tengstedt, a 26-year-old striker who joined Toulouse from the Dutch club Feyenoord, based in Rotterdam, told the newspaper La Dépêche that it was already Jorgensen who had set up that missed chance against Lille. He said Jorgensen was a very gifted player with a very good eye for the game, and that the more the two of them played together, the easier it would become for them to find each other on the pitch.
A Danish network in the dressing room
Askou said the two forwards also got on well away from the pitch, and that he could sometimes speak Danish with his compatriots to help smooth over certain exchanges within the squad. Tengstedt said having fellow Danes around him helped him enormously, explaining that he could turn to them for support even with small, everyday details of life away from football. He had signed for Toulouse only two days before the summer transfer window closed.
Toulouse's Danish contingent now stands at four, with Tengstedt and Jorgensen joined by Askou and defender Nicolaisen. Their growing understanding, on and off the pitch, is regarded as one of the more promising signs for Toulouse as the season continues.
