After his blunder in Nîmes during the last match, the Ruthenian goalkeeper, trained at the TFC, released a great match, allowing the Aveyronnais to believe a little more in their maintenance in Ligue2.
What could be in Lionel Mpasi’s head at the start of this Rodez-TFC? Was the 27-year-old goalkeeper thinking of his three years spent in Toulouse, between 2012 and 2015, always making these confrontations with his former club so special? Was he thinking of his last match at the Costières stadium in Nîmes, on April 22, and of those painful stoppages during which his slip had cost the RAF a badly needed point in their race to maintain?
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Or even worse, was he thinking of December 13, 2021, when the foul had arisen in his career, and an individual present at the Stadium had smeared his name with racist insults during the first leg between Toulouse and Rodez? Basically, it doesn’t matter what may have crossed Mpasi’s mind, because one thing is certain: last night, he behaved like a champion. Unsinkable. We would be destabilized unless, after the accident at Gard.
In front of you, there are ten men who rely on you to ensure their survival. You came close last time out, and the leader comes in with a historic goalscoring record to win their title. But this time, Mpasi did not fail.
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A story of corners and penalties
After a start to the match in the form of an observation round, the Ruthenian goalkeeper warmed up his gloves on a strike from Genreau, who took a cross from Bafodé Diakité in one touch (29). From his cage, the goalkeeper born in Meaux watched his own make the Toulouse people tremble, by another former purple house first, Killian Corredor who headed back a corner from Boissier (32), before he served Dembele for an even more dangerous header (42).
This Monday evening, May 2, it was very much a story of corners, and Mpasi was doing his part to repel the most dangerous Toulouse opportunity of the first period: a header from Ado on a kick from van den Boomen, boxed to ward off danger and tension before the break (43).
What followed was no different, with attacks from Toulouse on the Aveyron goal, and always an impeccable Mpasi.
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Spierings took a corner on the post, Nicolaisen followed to finish the job but the blood and gold goalkeeper did not want to crack and pushed again on his line (51), before he returned two other attempts, again on corners, in the same minute (52).
Heads, there were still other dangerous ones, like that of Ado (58), but history and Mpasi did not want Branco van den Boomen to exceed the bar of 20 assists co-held with Zinédine Fehrat.
Deliverance would come, in one of those special moments for goalkeepers, forced to watch their teammate score from the penalty spot from the other end of the field. Danger did it, in the 63rd minute, and Mpasi had to finish, had to hold on. He did it. Less worried on his line, he saw his defense push back most of the increasingly pressing Toulouse crosses at the end of the game.
It was unbreathable, the fireworks set off by the Violets supporters crackled outside the stadium, but the blood and gold and Mpasi did not crack. This victory, they obtained it with the heart. And that of Lionel Mpasi is immense.
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