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| Toulouse end Montpelier charge |
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Montpellier's Ligue 1 title hopes were all but extinguished this evening as Colin Kazim-Richards struck an injury-time equaliser to salvage a point for Toulouse at Stade de la Mosson.
The hosts came into the game 10 points behind leaders Marseille and in desperate need of all three points after a run of one win in six, and their faint title aspirations were given a boost when Alberto Costa opened the scoring in the first half.
But Montpellier failed to see the game out and Kazim-Richards' last-gasp effort leaves Rene Girard's fourth-placed troops nine points off the summit with five games to play, and now almost certainly resigned to chasing the consolation of a place in the Champions League next season.
With mid-table Toulouse left with little to play for this season, it was no surprise that Montpellier did most of the probing in the opening half.
Costa forced a good stop from Olivier Blondel early on while from the resulting corner Emir Spahic nodded just wide of the target.
A Costa free-kick on 25 minutes created a chance for Souleymane Camara, who fired wide, but the breakthrough came moments later.
Argentinian midfielder Costa had been at the heart of all that was good in Montpellier's play and it was no surprise when he broke the deadlock after 31 minutes.
Younes Belhanda led a sweeping counter-attack from the home side and did well to pick out Costa, who controlled on his chest before sliding the ball under the advancing Blondel.
Toulouse threatened for the first time after 40 minutes when Etienne Didot swung over a cross that was met by Daniel Congre's head but Geoffrey Jourdren, who this week signed a two-year contract, was on hand to make a great reflex save.
Costa went close to making it 2-0 when he fired over after 59 minutes, while seven minutes later Blondel did well to keep out Gregory Lacombe's fierce drive.
Paulo Machado shaved the hosts' crossbar with eight minutes remaining as Montpellier started to wobble, and Toulouse punished them at the death when Adrien Regattin skinned two defenders on the left before firing the ball low to the far post where Kazim-Richards was on hand to tap home.
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