Toulouse's dagger strike: a victory snatched from Nice's grasp

Average Futmetrix Score: 38/100. Nice controlled the pitch for 89 minutes but crumble to a late goal, exposing a defensive fragility that will haunt them throughout the campaign.

The intensity of control without reward

Nice suffocated this match. Fifty-seven per cent possession, 13 shots, 9 corners—the numbers paint a picture of overwhelming dominance. Abdulay Juma Bah marshalled a watertight defence, limiting Toulouse to scraps. Yet therein lies football's cruelest paradox: control does not guarantee reward. With just 2 shots on target and an xG of 0.79, the hosts couldn't find the finishing touch that would have sealed all three points.

The final-day nightmare: balance shifts in 90 seconds

At the 89th minute, the script flips. Djibril Sidibé emerges to convert Toulouse's last meaningful attack into gold. S. Hidalgo, introduced at the 76th minute, delivers the decisive assist. The substitute becomes the match-winner. Nice, who could have banked three points with clinical finishing, depart empty-handed. Toulouse, clinical and predatory, pilfer a victory that seemed impossible for 88 minutes.

The stakes revealed: a lesson for the Aiglons

This defeat opens Nice's season on the wrong foot. Zero points, negative goal difference, and a lingering sense of injustice. Mark McKenzie and Toulouse's rearguard absorbed pressure but held firm. The Violets depart with three precious points and the knowledge that in football, sometimes the final blow matters more than the first 89 minutes.