Cape Verdean Logan Costa scored Toulouse’s first goal after just four minutes and similarly scored the second, before Dutchman Dallinga scored twice at the Estádio de França with half an hour left.
Zakaria Aboukhlal secured Toulouse’s memorable victory late in the second half, after Ludovic Blas scored the consolation goal for Nantes.
Despite a historic victory and the French Cup winner’s qualification for the Europa League group stage, Toulouse risks being unable to play in Europe next season. At least if AC Milan qualify for the Champions League or the Europa League, as both clubs are owned by the American investment company RedBird Capital Partners.
Under UEFA rules, no entity may allow two clubs to participate in the same edition of European club football competitions. However, there was already a precedent with RB Leipzig and Red Bull Salzburg.
“It is an emblematic competition in this country and we are proud. We did it, we entered the club’s history,” said Costa.
French President Emmanuel Macron shook hands with players in the tunnel before the game, allaying fears of a hostile reception following his hugely unpopular pension reform that sparked three months of protests and strikes.
Toulouse are having an excellent season on their return to Ligue 1, comfortably occupying the mid-table and reaching the final for the first time in 66 years.
The 6-3 win over Angers in 1957 remains the biggest defeat of the league, but a decade later the club disappeared in a merger and a new version was founded in 1970.
Against a Nantes struggling to survive in the top flight, Toulouse immediately took over the game through an unlikely hero: Costa scored his first two goals of the season in the space of 10 minutes.
The Cape Verdean central defender, who played almost exclusively in the Cup this season, was faster than Andrei Girotto and scored the first goal after a corner from Branco van den Boomen.
Van den Boomen was again behind Toulouse’s second goal. The Dutch midfielder took a free kick that Stijn Spierings bounced into the net and Costa headed the ball into Alban Lafont’s net.
Source: DN
