Nantes (AFP)

This time, Antoine Kombouaré has won his bet: without shining, Nantes snatched his hold in the elite with one breath by losing only 1-0 (go 2-1) against the Toulouse battlers on Sunday in the return jump-off from L1 / L2.

A year after leaving the elite by the back door, the TFC, yet best attack in L2 with 71 goals, failed at the gates of L1, after having already given in at the end of the regular season in its fight at the top with Troyes and Clermont.

Despite visible tension on both sides, the match started at a lively pace, with Toulouse residents more enterprising than in the first leg and Nantes residents determined to try their luck against.

Omnipresent, Amine Adli led the Toulouse attack, which was dangerous on several occasions - heads of Bafodé Diakité (5th) and Sébastien Dewaest (34th), strikes from Rhys Healey (14th) and Adli (38th) ) - but was unsuccessful.

Required to score at least two goals to make up for the delay in the first leg, Patrice Garande's men have sometimes also sinned by haste.

Opposite, Nantes initially remained solid in defense, however committing a lot of faults, and obtained several chances against, with a Randal Kolo Muani still untenable.

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But the Canaries began to retreat at the start of the second period and Toulouse took advantage: on a cross from Adli, Vakoun Bayo opened the scoring with a pricked head (0-1, 62nd).

Relaunched, the Toulousains left again, while doubt settled in the Nantes camp.

Even Kolo Muani, launched alone behind the defense, saw Maxime Dupé intervene (75th).

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Faced with Nantes folded up in defense, the Toulousains first unsuccessfully claimed a penalty for a hand from Charles Traoré in the area (80th), before suffering the exclusion of Nathan N'Goumou for a high foot having struck the face of Jean-Charles Castelletto (88th).

After very tense last minutes, the Nantes fell to the ground at the final whistle, before kissing and posing, happy, with their children, while the Toulouse quickly left the field.

Despite the gradual lifting of health restrictions, the match took place behind closed doors, for the sake of fairness since the first leg, scheduled for Thursday evening, took place in an empty stadium because of the curfew.

But after months of matches marked by the presence of CRS buses to keep anti-Kita demonstrators at bay, supporters were invited to welcome the players' bus.

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Shunned by the main groups of supporters, the small ceremony however remained far from the fervor shown by hundreds of Toulouse supporters Thursday during the first leg, between smoke and firecrackers.

Because if Toulouse has reconciled with its public, the gap now seems insurmountable between Nantes supporters and President Waldemar Kita, also dropped by several sponsors.

© 2021 AFP