Toulouse FC suffered their first pre-season defeat on Saturday morning, losing 4-0 to Spanish club Elche in a 120-minute friendly match in Murcia, Spain. The defeat concluded the French side's training camp in Spain just two weeks before the start of their Ligue 1 campaign.
The loss came three days after Toulouse secured a victory against Al-Ain. Toulouse created very few scoring opportunities throughout the 120 minutes of play before heading back to France for their final pre-season preparations.
Toulouse will host German club Hamburger SV next Saturday at the Stadium in their final rehearsal match. They will then open their Ligue 1 season on August 22 when they receive Olympique Lyonnais at home.
Toulouse Squad Absences and Early Match Chances
Head coach Jens Berthel Askou was without winger Yann Gboho, who rested after taking a thigh contusion earlier in the week. Defender Dayann Méthalie was also absent from the squad as he awaits a transfer away from the club.
Despite the missing players, Toulouse started the match well and threatened Elche's defense in the opening minutes. Ilyas Azizi created an early opportunity, while defender Rasmus Nicolaisen came close with a header from a corner kick.
Elche, who finished 15th in La Liga last season, quickly established their own attacking style. The Spanish side took control of possession and disrupted Toulouse's shape with fast combinations.
Elche Goals and Match Flow
Elche opened the scoring in the 14th minute through Germán Valera after a six-pass combination originating from a goal kick. Toulouse players failed to touch the ball during the entire sequence leading up to Valera's opening goal.
Toulouse goalkeeper Guillaume Restes made a crucial save in the 16th minute to prevent Elche from extending their advantage. Following that save, Toulouse struggled to build attacks outside of set pieces and forward runs by Argentine winger Julian Vignolo.
Toulouse showed better intentions at the start of the second period, but poor execution hindered their progress. Elche punished them in the 84th minute when Grady Diangana beat goalkeeper Mathys Niflore with a cross-shot from the corner of the penalty box.
Aron Donnum appeared to narrow the gap for Toulouse in the 88th minute following an individual effort. However, Elche added a third goal on the final action of the regular 90 minutes.
Extra Time Period and Final Substitutions
The two teams agreed to play 30 additional minutes beyond the standard 90 minutes. Toulouse made personnel changes during the extra period, sending on Darren Bique and Léo Frechingues to replace Mario Sauer and Mathis Saka.
Elche scored a fourth goal in the final seconds of the extra 30-minute period to complete the 4-0 scoreline. Following the final whistle, Toulouse FC posted on social media acknowledging their first loss of the season and pointing ahead to Saturday's home fixture against Hamburger SV.
