The scoreline only began to breathe after half-time at the Stade Marie-Marvingt. Jacen Russell-Rowe found the top corner within a minute of the restart, setting Toulouse on their way to a 3-0 Ligue 1 victory over Le Mans on Friday night.
The move
Russell-Rowe broke a goalless first half in the 46th minute, collecting Aron Dønnum’s assist on the right side of the penalty area before driving a left-footed finish into the upper-left corner.
It was a decisive moment for Toulouse after an opening period in which both teams had opportunities without finding the finish. Casper Tengstedt had already tested Le Mans and headed narrowly over from Rafik Messali’s cross, while Russell-Rowe forced a save shortly before the interval following work from Cristian Cásseres.
Le Mans had their own warning shots. Louis Mafouta headed wide from Djibril Sidibé’s delivery, while Jean Vercruysse missed the target after Dame Gueye had created an opening.
Toulouse pull away after the break
Dønnum doubled Toulouse’s advantage in the 59th minute. The Norwegian finished with his left foot from the middle of the box, sending the ball inside the right post after having assisted the opening goal.
Le Mans made a triple change on 61 minutes, introducing Billal Brahimi, Habib Diallo and Lucas Calodat. Rayan Bamba arrived eight minutes later, and Noa Boissé replaced the injured Harold Voyer in the 77th minute.
The home side briefly threatened a response. Mafouta had a close-range header blocked, Vercruysse sent another chance just wide, and Calodat drew a save with a left-footed effort from a tight angle. Brahimi also had two late efforts blocked.
Toulouse thought they had added a third goal in the 75th minute when Tengstedt finished, but the strike was ruled out following a VAR review for offside. The forward did not have to wait long for his goal, though. In the 87th minute, Tengstedt turned in Cristian Cásseres’ pass from close range to complete the 3-0 result.
The French season around it
The match was played on 16 October 2026 at the Stade Marie-Marvingt and formed part of Ligue 1’s seventh round. Toulouse had been probing from the opening minutes, with Tengstedt involved repeatedly despite several missed chances and offside calls.
- Jacen Russell-Rowe opened the scoring in the 46th minute.
- Aron Dønnum recorded an assist before scoring Toulouse’s second goal on 59 minutes.
- Casper Tengstedt scored the third in the 87th minute after an earlier VAR-disallowed goal.
- Cristian Cásseres supplied the assist for Tengstedt’s eventual goal.
Alexis Vossah, Julián Vignolo and Seny Koumbassa entered for Toulouse during the second half, replacing Dønnum, Russell-Rowe and Rasmus Nicolaisen respectively. Jacen Russell-Rowe was booked in the 49th minute.
For Le Mans, Samuel Yohou and Sidibé received late yellow cards. Diallo’s final effort, from a Calodat corner in added time, sailed over as Toulouse saw out a clean-sheet win.
