Squeezed in between two Champions League clashes against Celje and ahead of four consecutive away games across all competitions, this match against Toulouse had all the hallmarks of a tricky fixture. Having recently beaten Nantes at the H Arena, Fénix had high hopes as they travelled to Coubertin. And yet, Stefan Madsen’s men came very close to a perfect performance.
Taking the lead in the tenth minute following a solid start from our visitors, Les Rouge et Bleu maintained a comfortable lead right to the end without ever being under threat. With a six-goal lead at half-time, Stefan Madsen was able to draw on the depth of his squad in the second half to rest some of his key players, such as Ferran Solé and Luka Karabatic.
It was a memorable encounter for Rodrigo Corrales and Sebastian Karlsson, who both reached a milestone in their Parisian careers by making 600 saves and scoring 100 goals respectively in all competitions for the capital club. However, they are not the only Parisians who can regard this fixture as a defining match so far this season.
At throw-off, this StarLigue Matchday 6 clash pitted the top flight's top two defences against each other: Paris led the Occitans by a narrow two-goal margin. As such, the duel between the back lines - notably Karl Konan and Bakary Diallo - was one of the most fascinating aspects of the encounter. In this match within the match, it was our French international who emerged victorious.
Our defensive line played a major part in the Parisians’ excellent display, as they conceded just 23 goals - their lowest total in the league this season. Having been named in the Team of the Week on Matchday 1 for his performance in Chambéry, Karl is the first member of the squad to have been named twice so far this season.
At the other end of the court, several players stood out, including Kamil Syprzak. Our centre-forward was perfect in front of goal (3 from 3) and was also involved in several defensive transitions. That was enough to earn him a place in the Team of the Week for the first time this season.
